Bodoland FC defeated ITBP FT 4-0 here at the SAI Stadium in front of more than 12,000 enthusiastic home fans, capping off an incredible group stage campaign in the 134th Durand Cup.
With a perfect nine points from three games, the host team finished first in Group D and advanced to the knockout stages for the first time in their history on Wednesday, according to a Durand Cup announcement.
Both sides entered the match undefeated, but the home squad, which was mostly intact from the roster that shocked ISL franchise Punjab FC save for the addition of Urjoy Brahma at left-back in place of Manabir Basumatary, took the lead right away in the pouring rain. In an attempt to gain a more attacking edge, ITBP head coach Surojit Kumar Prodhani made four changes to his 4-3-3 lineup, while Colombian striker Robinson led the line in Vikash Panthi’s 4-2-3-1.
Bodoland dominated possession in the first few minutes, testing ITBP goalie Ugesh Lama with Junior Onguene, Pedro Astray, and Robinson. When Srikumar Karjee burst through in the 14th minute, ITBP nearly took the lead against the flow of play, but his shot was missed.
In the twenty-fifth minute, Pedro Astray’s peach-sized free kick around the halfway line gave Bodoland the lead. After missing his shot a minute before, Timothi Narzary took advantage of the situation to head forcefully down at the near post, denying Lama any chance and lighting up the spectators.
When Robinson was fouled inside the box by Pradipta Biswas twelve minutes later, Bodoland increased their lead, and the referee quickly pointed to the spot. Pedro, a Spaniard, took the penalty kick and scored with a clean left-footed shot into the bottom right corner.
The home team continued to assault in waves, and with a sweeping team move in the 40th minute, they increased their lead to 3-0. Gwgwmsar Gayary was unleashed by Junior’s defense-splitting diagonal pass after Robinson fed him. Bodoland was solidly in charge at the break thanks to the winger’s smooth slotting between Lama’s legs.
Despite further rain, the second half began with end-to-end action. Just after the hour, Leimajan Singh had the finest opportunity for ITBP thanks to a loose back pass, but Bodoland’s defense quickly rallied. In the 78th minute, Junior believed he had scored the fourth goal, but the offside flag disallowed his attempt.
In fact, the fourth came in the eighty-second minute. Lama punched Rabha outside the box from Pedro’s corner, and Rabha’s shot ricocheted to Abdul Samed Ango. To finish the carnage, the Ghanaian leaped forward and fired low into the near post.
Only in the 85th minute was Bodoland goalie Diamary forced into serious action after deflecting a long-range attempt from Lungunhao Sitlhou. The hosts maintained their flawless defensive record in the competition thus far by easily navigating the final phases.
The fans erupted in celebration when Bodoland FC, in its third Durand Cup season, not only won Group D but also went undefeated with seven goals and one goal allowed.
In the quarterfinal lineup for the 134th edition of Asia’s oldest football event, Bodoland FC will join the Indian Navy Football Team (Group F), who qualified earlier today, and the other seven teams. Shillong Lajong FC (Group E) and Diamond Harbour FC (Group B) advance as the two best second-place teams with six points and goal differentials of +7 and +4, respectively, while Emami East Bengal (Group A), Mohun Bagan SG (Group B), Jamshedpur FC (Group C), and NorthEast United FC (Group E) are the other teams that advance to the quarterfinals.
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