Durand Cup 2021: Mohammedan Sporting cruise past Indian Air Force in opener

Mohammedan Sporting got the Durand Cup 2021 off to a thunderous start by hammering the Indian Air Force 4-1 in the Group A opener. The first game of the tournament was held at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday.

Milan Singh, Arijeet Singh, Azharuddin Mallick and Marcus Joseph scored for Mohammedan, with Saurav Sadukhan netting one for IAF. At the heart of it all was Serbian midfielder Nikola Stojanovic, who got 2 assists in an all-action display.

It took the Black Panthers just five minutes to register a shot on target when centre-back Arijeet Singh’s header was saved by goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil. It was a warning the IAF should have taken seriously as it was all Mohammedan after that.

In the 19th minute, Mohammedan pushed high up the field and initiated a press on the IAF defense. Defender Amal Das gave the ball away and it fell to midfielder Milan Singh who smashed it in from 25 yards. The Durand Cup 2021 had begun spectacularly.

A few minutes later, IAF made one of their rare forays into the opposition half. A long throw by left-back Mohammed Aqib was headed straight into keeper Zothanmawia’s arms by Prabhjyot Singh.

On the half-hour mark, winger Faisal Ali outmuscled Jijo Jerone and looped in a cross headed by SK Faiaz but it was blocked. The resulting corner was taken short and Stojanovic sent Faiaz through and his low cross was tapped in by Arijeet.

Not satisfied with a two-goal cushion, Mohammedan gave the IAF defense no rest with Marcus Joseph’s shot saved by Kunniyil. Their effort bore fruit as a superb run and pass by Stojanovic was dinked into the net by Azharuddin.

It looked like IAF might go for damage limitation in the second half but they seemed to have other ideas. Substitute Sadukhan caught Zothanmawia off guard with a direct free-kick from a tight angle and the game was back on.

The goal did spur IAF on and they showed much more attacking intent than in the first half. However, poor decision-making and some wayward finishing meant they could not capitalize.

With 13 minutes to go, Mohammedan put the icing on the cake with Marcus Joseph heading in their fourth goal from a Stojanovic free-kick. Trinidadian Joseph was the top scorer of the previous edition of the Durand Cup with 11 for Gokulam Kerala.

"I am happy with this good start but a bit disappointed with our second half performance," said Mohammedan coach Andrey Chernyshov. "We will also rotate the squad considering our Calcutta Football League commitments."

Although early days, Mohammedan have laid down a marker for the Durand Cup 2021 with not just the result, but their performance. They will face sterner tests but this win will do their confidence wonders in front of an expectant home crowd.