Mumbai City FC scored in the very last minute of regulation time to beat Mohammedan SC 1-0 in the 2022 Durand Cup semifinals at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday (September 14).
The Black Panthers looked the better side for the opening 25 minutes before the Islanders began dominating proceedings. Neither team got a shot on target in the opening 50 minutes but played some good football at high intensity.
Backed by a vociferous home crowd, Mohammedan showed a brief surge in urgency midway through the second half. However, that seemed to wear them out as Mumbai City opened them up with ease with extra-time looming.
Greg Stewart drew Ousmane N'Diaye out of his position and lobbed a pass over to the prolific Lallianzuala Chhangte to run through on goal. Chhangte selflessly laid it off for Bipin Singh, who tapped it into an empty net to seal the Islanders' berth in the final.
Here are the player ratings for both teams from this 2022 Durand Cup clash:
Mohammedan SC
Zothanmawia - 7/10
Zothanmawia pulled off a couple of sensational saves, with his right-handed effort to deny Stewart particularly standing out. He was also excellent with his feet.
Abhishek Ambekar - 7/10
Ambekar impressed in the first half and kept Chhangte on a leash while also marauding forward at will. The left-back made a couple of uncharacteristic errors in the second half, one of which got him booked, but he was mostly solid.
Ousmane N'Diaye - 7/10
N'Diaye was superb at the heart of the Mohammedan defense, popping up everywhere to foil Mumbai City. However, he pushed too far up the pitch in the final minutes to mark Stewart, which ultimately opened up space for the Islanders to score.
Shaher Shaheen - 7/10
Shaheen was aerially dominant and complemented N'Diaye extremely well.
Safiul Rahaman - 6/10
Rahaman began the game well but struggled to deal with Mandar Rao Dessai, often affording him too much space to whip crosses into the box.
Abhash Thapa - 5.5/10
Thapa made a couple of errors in his own defensive third but was decent otherwise, constantly recycling possession. He struggled to deal with Chhangte once he was moved to left-back and was caught out for the Islanders' goal.
Nuriddin Davronov - 6.5/10
Davronov was excellent in the first half as Mumbai City gave him space and time on the ball, allowing him to play some big switches. However, he faded away in the final half an hour.
Azharuddin Malik - 6/10
Malik did well, switching with Faiaz on the right flank and also dropping deeper to help Mohammedan's midfield cope with Mumbai City's pressure.
Ningthoujam Pritam Singh - 6.5/10
Pritam Singh started the game extremely brightly and was once again the key behind his side's improvement midway through the second half. On another night, he would've ended up with at least one assist.
Marcus Joseph - 6/10
Joseph got both of Mohammedan's shots on target and linked up brilliantly with Pritam Singh and SK Faiaz. However, he also took some poor shots from distance and failed to close down Mumbai City's defenders in the second half.
SK Faiaz - 6.5/10
Faiaz was a nuisance for the Islanders with his movement and passing, winning several fouls across both halves. He linked up well with the other Mohammedan forwards but his set-pieces lacked venom.
Substitutes
Abhishek Haldar - 6/10
Haldar offered another body upfront but didn't really get a chance to show what he was capable of.
Yumnam Gopi - 5/10
Gopi barely got involved in the game after coming on in the second half.
Wayne Vaz - 6/10
Vaz made one excellent tackle to stop Stewart inside the box but was completely caught out for Mumbai City's goal.
Mumbai City FC
Phurba Lachenpa - 6.5/10
Lachenpa made a couple of good saves off Joseph's snapshots and was tidy with his feet. However, he needs to communicate better with his defense.
Sanjeev Stalin - 6/10
Stalin began the game on the left and struggled to deal with Pritam Singh before moving to right-back, where he looked more solid.
Rostyn Griffiths - 7/10
Griffiths looked indecisive on the ball at times but still came up with some vital clearances to keep Mohammedan out.
Mourtada Fall - 7.5/10
Fall was rock solid at the back and commanded the Mumbai City defense with sheer authority. His sliding tackle to deflect Pritam Singh's shot behind for a corner and physical handling of Joseph particularly stood out while he almost scored with a header as well.
Amey Ranawade - 5/10
Ranawade committed a couple of unnecessary fouls before being substituted after less than 20 minutes due to an injury.
Vinit Rai - 5/10
Rai endured a disappointing night that saw him give the ball away on multiple occasions. He improved after Alberto Noguera's arrival, but this was undoubtedly a below-par outing for the midfielder.
Ahmed Jahouh - 5.5/10
Jahouh is yet to find his best self in this Durand Cup. While his switches were decent, his set-pieces and passes into the final third didn't really threaten Mohammedan's defense. He also gave the ball away high up the pitch on a couple of occasions and was lucky to see those errors go unpunished.
Bipin Singh - 7/10
Barring a couple of good crosses, Bipin Singh saw very little of the ball for much of the game. However, he made some fantastic runs, one of which saw him get into the box unmarked to score the only goal of the game by tapping the ball into an empty net.
Greg Stewart - 7.5/10
Stewart's impact was kept to a minimum by Mohammedan in the first half. However, he impressed after the break and was particularly brilliant after Noguera came on as the Black Panthers began tiring. The Scot got the pre-assist for Mumbai City's goal with a glorious lob over the top.
Lallianzuala Chhangte - 7/10
Chhangte struggled to consistently get past Ambekar in the first half. However, like many of his teammates, he improved after the break and combined well with Stewart. The winger also got the assist for Mumbai City's winner with an unselfish pass after running through on goal from Stewart's pass.
Gurkirat Singh - 5.5/10
Gurkirat Singh received quite a few chances in the first half but was wasteful. His link-up play improved after the break and he set up a great chance for Stewart that was saved brilliantly.
Substitutes
Mandar Rao Dessai - 6/10
Dessai whipped in a couple of dangerous crosses immediately after coming on but his final product lacked the same tenacity in the second half.
Mehtab Singh - 6.5/10
Mehtab Singh helped shore up a defense that at times found it difficult to deal with the interchanging Mohammedan frontline.
Alberto Noguera - 7.5/10
Noguera almost immediately improved Mumbai City with his vision and off-the-ball movement. The midfielder helped create a couple of chances and repeatedly stretched the Mohammedan defense.