Mohun Bagan AC defeated Shillong Lajong FC 3-1 in the second quarter-final match of the Hero Super Cup 2018 played in Bhubaneswar today. With this win, the Mariners have advanced to the semi-finals of the tournament.

The three goals for Mohun Bagan came from Faiaz, Kadam and an own goal from Lajong defender, Laurence Doe. The only goal for Lajong came from Abdoulaye Koffi.

A very experienced Mohun Bagan side kicked off the first half very well dominating Lajong in their half. SK Faiaz, gave the Mariners an early lead in the 12th minute after he controlled the ball inside the box and slotted the ball past the keeper.

Nikhil Kadam doubled the lead for the Mariners after he scored a long ranger in the 22nd minute. The goal had hit the cross bar and came back out which led to the delay in the decision of the referee to award the goal. Few minutes later, Lajong were attacking in numbers and earned a penalty when Sheen was brought down inside the box. Samuel Lalmuanpuia stepped up in the 26th minute but his penalty kick was saved by the keeper, Shilton Paul.

Then in the 28th minute, Samuel received a long ball inside the box and flicked it towards the oncoming striker, Koffi, who made no mistake in heading it into the back of the net. The goal boosted the confidence of the young Lajong side that started to show more intent in attack. A couple of good chances fell for both sides in the first half but the score remained unchanged at 2-1 in favour of Mohun Bagan.

The second half saw both teams applying pressure in front. With only 3 foreigners in the starting eleven, Lajong youngsters did not enjoy as much possession as they would have liked. Mohun Bagan eventually restored the two goal lead in the 60th minute after a cross from the right wing was attempted by Akram but the ball deflected off Laurence Doe’s head into the back of the net for an own goal. The game opened up after this goal and both sides had great opportunities to alter the score line.

As the game wore on, Mohun Bagan controlled the pace of the game and Lajong kept on working hard to get back in the game. In the final minutes of the game, Koffi was presented a wonderful opportunity to score but his shot was blocked by the defender inside the box. The match thus ended 3-1 in favour of the Kolkata outfit.

(Shillong Lajong FC)