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In the first quarter-final of the Durand Cup 2022, Mohammedan SC (MDSC) beat a young Kerala Blasters FC (KBFC) side 3-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday, September 9.
New signing Abiola Dauda bagged a brace after coming off the bench for MDSC.
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The Black Panthers have been the team to beat in the tournament so far, winning three and drawing one of their four group stage games. After beating FC Goa, Jamshedpur FC, and the Indian Air Force, the Kolkata giants were held to a draw by an inspired Bengaluru FC side in their final Group A fixture.
Meanwhile, the reserve side of the Blasters finished second in Group D with two victories over NorthEast United FC and Army Green in their final two group games.
Andrey Chernyshov deployed a 4-2-3-1 system, with Azaharuddin Mallick playing as the frontman and Marcus Joseph slotting in behind him. Muhammad Ajsal, on the other hand, led the line for the Yellow Army. Right from the opening exchanges, MDSC emerged as the side on top as Joseph narrowly scuffed his header wide in the fourth minute.
Mohammedan, however, continued their rampant attacking spree and finally in the 17th minute, they broke the deadlock. Joseph drilled in a low cross from the left flank and Sk. Faiaz, unmarked in the box, thumped it home with a neat finish. MDSC's attacking rampage continued and Yumnam Gopi Singh came close to scoring when Mallick whipped a cross for the latter. However, the former's volley was aimed directly at the keeper.
In the dying moments of the first half, Kerala Blasters had a rare opportunity to test the MDSC shot-stopper when Mohammed Aimen created a one-on-one situation, but had his shot saved.
Abiola Dauda hogs the limelight with a brace off the bench for Mohammedan SC
Coming out after the break, Mohammedan SC maintained their swagger as they dominated the proceedings. Head coach Chernyshov opted for two quick-fire substitutions, with Abiola Dauda and Kean Lewis replacing Nuriddin Davronov and Yumnam Gopi, respectively.
Right away, Dauda got involved in the thick of things as his cross almost ended up in the KBFC net after a mistimed clearance for Marvan. Soon after, in the 59th minute, Dauda announced his arrival to Indian football in style, as the Nigerian doubled the lead after being set up by Joseph.
But Mohammedan SC were not done over as Abhishek Ambekar drilled in a cross from the left and Dauda, patiently waiting in the middle, didn't think twice before bagging his brace with a ferocious header.
As the referee blew the final whistle, the Black Panthers secured a semi-final spot, where they'll face the winner from the third quarter-final clash between Mumbai City FC and Chennaiyin FC.
Meanwhile, the loss means the end of the road for the young Kerala Blasters FC side in the coveted tournament.
