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Bengaluru FC lifted the Durand Cup for the first time in the club's history by defeating Mumbai City FC 2-1 on Sunday, September 18. Goals from Sivasakthi Narayanan and Alan Costa either side of half-time guided the Blues to an epic conclusion.
The two sides squared off at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata with the Blues fielding a rather defensive side. Sandesh Jhingan, Alan Costa and Aleksandar Jovanovic made it to the starting line-up for this crucial nail-biter. The match started off with the Blues looking the better side, managing to nullify all of Mumbai City FC's tricks.
Simon Grayson deployed his men in a shape that was compact centrally forcing the Islanders to opt for the flanks. However, Des Buckingham's side did not have much luck in the wide corridors as well. The wingers and wing-backs were pressed in numbers, ousting them from possession. This allowed the Blues' forwards to make supporting runs into the vacant channels in an attempt to stretch the opposition's defense.
Meanwhile, Grayson's side had an effective plan to support their build-up. Skipper Sunil Chhetri was positioned deep, much more like a playmaker, while Roy Krishna and Sivasakthi played higher up.
In the 11th minute, Jovanovic spotted Sivasakthi's run and played a vertical ball onto his path. Mourtada Fall tried to clear the danger but failed to do so. Consequently, Sivasakthi managed to get the ball into control and chip it over Phurba Lachenpa.
The goal gave Chhetri and his team a much-needed boost. But this was short-lived. Greg Stewart earned a freekick outside the Bengaluru FC box and took it quickly, while Jhingan and his colleagues were still setting themselves up. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saved the initial attempt but the rebound was blasted into the net by Lalengmawia Ralte at the half-hour mark.
The equalizer rattled Bengaluru FC's rhythm but the side were able to get themselves back into shape.
Bengaluru FC's Alan Costa lands the final blow on Mumbai City FC
There were moments in the game when one side would be attacking with everything they had, making it impossible for the other to get breathing space. One such situation went in favor of the Blues.
Chhetri stepped up to take a corner. The Bengaluru FC skipper dipped the ball towards the far post. Costa managed to get past his marker and head the ball into the net in the 61st minute. The goal came as a massive blow to Mumbai City FC, who were just looking to get into their usual rhythm.
The moments that followed witnessed Mumbai City FC putting numbers into the opposition's half whilst the Blues decided to sit deep. Amidst all of the attack inside the Bengaluru FC box, the side managed to break away in an attack with Sivasakthi leading the way. The young forward spotted his skipper's run and sent in a well-measured pass that eventually fell to Chhetri.
The skipper managed to edge past two Mumbai City FC defenders with a feint but his attempt on goal was blocked by Lachenpa. The match ended with a scoreline of 2-1 in favor of Bengaluru FC, with both Sunil Chhetri and his club adding the Durand Cup trophy to their collection for the very first time.
