Dominant Mohun Bagan Super Giant overcame Diamond Harbour FC 5-1 to storm into the quarterfinals of the Durand Cup in Kolkata on Saturday.
In a crunch Group B match, Anirudh Thapa gave the lead to the Mariners as Luka Majcen equalised after five minutes but Jamie MacLaren, Liston Colaco, Sahal Abdul Samad and Jason Cummings ensured that Mohun Bagan qualified for the quarterfinals as group winners.
Diamond Harbour will now have to rely on other results to get their place in the knockouts as one of the best second-placed teams.
Mohun Bagan broke the deadlock in the 19th minute as Anirudh Thapa collected a first-time pass on the edge of the box and curled a beautifully-struck shot into the top-right corner.
Diamond Harbour responded emphatically just four minutes later.
A defensive mix-up from Mohun Bagan left Luka Majcen with space in the box, and he capitalised clinically by slotting home past the advancing Vishal Kaith to restore parity.
The match remained evenly poised until the 33rd minute when Bagan regained control. A poor pass from the Diamond Harbour goalkeeper gifted possession to Jamie MacLaren, who pounced instantly with a precise toe-poke finish that restored the Mariners’ lead and sent the home crowd into raptures.
As the referee blew for halftime, Mohun Bagan held a narrow lead at 2–1.
In the second half, it didn’t take long for Bagan to tighten their grip on the contest.
Just minutes after the restart, the Mariners were awarded a penalty when Liston Colaco was brought down inside the box by Naresh Singh Yendrembam following a sharp run.
The foul resulted in the defender receiving a straight red card and Diamond Harbour being reduced to ten men.
Colaco stepped up for the resultant penalty and converted with composure, sending the goalkeeper the wrong way to make it 3–1.
The pressure paid off in the 64th minute when a defensive lapse from Diamond Harbour allowed Sahal to pounce on a loose ball inside the box.
With trademark calmness, the midfielder slotted home past the goalkeeper to seal Bagan’s fourth goal of the night.
In the 80th minute Cummings, positioned with acres of space on the edge of the box, was played in perfectly by a well-timed pass.
With composure and precision, Cummings stroked the ball into the net, marking a splendid fifth goal for Mohun Bagan.
