Durand Cup 2021 Live Commentary: Indian Air Force vs Mohammedan SC

Indian Air Force	1-4	Mohammedan SC
48' Saurav Sadhukhan		19' Milan Singh 31' Arijeet Singh45' Azharuddin Mallick77' Marcus Joseph

Mohammedan Sporting get their Durand Cup 2021 campaign started in emphatic fashion with a big win over the Indian Air Force side. They dominated the majority of the game and their star player Nikola Stojanovic ran the show for them. He set up two goals, the ones for Azharuddin Mallick and Marcus Joseph in either half. Milan Singh started things off for them with a brilliant long-ranger, while Arijeet Singh also got in on the act in the first half. The Indian Air Force had only shining moment in their goal, a brilliant free-kick scored by substitute Saurav Sadhukhan. The Black Panthers assert their reputation as one of the favourites to win the tournament and take control of Group A with this big win. This is Uttiyo Sarkar signing off for Khel Now. Thank you, Ladies and Gentlemen!

90+1’ Four minutes of added time is announced.

89’ Substitute Sanjib Ghosh tries to be a bit ambitious and takes a shot from outside the box that is saved well by Kunniyil.

88’ Firoj Ali does well to steal the ball just outside the box and passes it to Joseph, who can’t seem to spot out his teammate in the box and gives the ball away.

85’ The Black Panthers make two more sustitutions as Jaskaranpreet Singh comes on for Azharuddin Mallick, while Sanjib Ghosh comes on for Sk. Faiaz.

82’ Almost another one for Mohammedan! The Black Panthers create a good move through the right, as Faiaz sends in an inviting low cross that is intercepted by Arashpreet and almost heading into the goal before Kunniyil holds onto it.

80' It's really been too easily for Nikola Stojanovic today. He's set-up two goals and created so many more. The Black Panthers will hope their Serbian playmaker can maintain this form throughout the tournament to help them win it.

77’ GOALL! Stojanovic gets another assist as he sent in a brilliant cross into the box which met Marcus Joseph’s head, as his headed attempt was too powerful for Kunniyil to keep out of the goal. 4-1!

76' Mohammedan creates a decent chance as Brandon is sent through on goal after an impressive long-ball, but he can't get a shot past the goalkeeper after getting into the box and ends up wasting it.

73' Another short little drinks break takes place with around over 15 minutes to go. Can Indian Air Force get something out of this game in the late stages?

71’ CHANCE! Some shambolic defending from The Black Panthers almost results in a goal for the Indian Air Force. A Mohammedan defender gives away the ball cheaply outside the box and midfielder Mohammad Danish takes a wicked shot that blasts over the goal.

68’ The Indian Air Force makes two more substitutions as Zico Sanga and Zeesan Ansari are brought on for Biswajit Halder and Shahbaz Md.

65’ Mohammedan makes another substitution as goal-scorer Milan Singh is taken off and replaced by Firoj Ali.

62’ CHANCE! Stojanovic channels his inner-Messi as he dances past 4-5 Indian Air Force players to make his way into the box, but his shot is well saved by Kunniyil.  

57’ The Black Panthers make two changes as Brandon Vanlalremdika replaces Faisal Ali, while Lalram Chullova replaces Saiful Rahman.

53’ Indian Air Force makes a change as Prabhjot Singh is taken off for Manimaran R.

51’ The Indian Air Force side has been inspired by that early goal and are now romping forward to try and get more. Suddenly they seem to be more dangerous on the attack in the few minutes this half than they were in the entirety of the first half!

48’ GOALLLL! The Indian Air Force pulls one back. It’s substitute Saurav Sadhukhan who converts a free-kick from a tricky angle outside the box and loops one over Zothanmawia. 1-3!

46' The second half kicks off! And Mohammedan almost get another one seconds into it as Stojanovic again gets into the final third and threads through a great pass to Faiaz, who can't seem to get good control of the ball and score past the goalkeeper.

HALF-TIME ANALYSIS: The Indian Air Force side started the game with a lot of energy, but it didn’t take much time for Mohammedan Sporting to display their dominance. The Black Panthers have been all over their opponents so far and created a plethora of big chances in the first half. A long-ranger from Milan Singh started things off for them, after which defender Arijeet Singh scored from a tap-in. But the most well-crafted goal came late in the half when midfielder Nikola Stojanovic tucked in a beautiful pass and allowed Azharuddin Mallick to chip the goalkeeper to score his. The Black Panthers don’t look they’re in the mood to stop and will try to get more in the second half. We’ll be back with action from the half after a short while. Stay tuned!

45’ GOALLL! Mohammedan gets their third! Stojanovic dances past a few bodies in midfield and tucks in a beautiful pass to send Azharuddin Mallick through on goal and the forward chips the ball over Kunniyil to get his goal. 3-0!

43' The Black Panthers are not letting up despite getting a comfortable lead in the game. They want a big win which can boost their chances of topping their group.

40’ CHANCE! Milan takes the free-kick and tries to bend it into the net, but Kunniyil reacts quickly to tip it over the post.

39' The first player to get a booking is Jijo Jerone after hacking down Sk Faiaz just outside the box.

37’ CHANCE! Marcus Joseph gets the ball just outside the box and takes a vicious shot that is punched over by Kunniyil.

31' GOALLL! Mohammedan gets their second goal! They create a decent move from the rebound off the corner, as Faiaz sends in an inviting low cross into the box which goes past Arashpreet and is tapped into the net by Arijeet Singh. 2-0!

30' CHANCE! Faisal shows impressive strength to bully his way past a defender and sends in an inviting cross from the left which meets Sk. Faiaz's header, which deflects off a defender for a corner.

28' A little drinks break takes place just over the half-way mark of the first half. It's extremely humid here at the Salt Lake Stadium and the players quite obviously need their refreshments.

26' Another shot on target from the Indian Air Force as it's Vivek again who finds some space on the right side of the box and takes a shot on goal, which is saved comfortably.

24' CHANCE! Indian Air Force creates their first real chance as a dangerous long throw is sent into the middle and meets Vivek Kumar's header, but Zothanmawia holds onto the ball strongly!

21' Rather ironically, Mohammedan Sporting were relying on crosses to try and get goals before the opener. Milan probably thought 'well I'll do it myself' and produced a special strike to get the Durand Cup underway in grand fashion.

19' GOALLLL! Milan Singh with a screamer! The midfielder gets a hold of the ball in midfield and lets rip a thunderbolt into the back of the net from around 25 yards away to give the Black Panthers the lead. 1-0!

16' Prabjot looks the only Indian Air Forces forward dangerous enough to terrorize the Black Panthers so far, but he isn't getting enough support from his teammates to get the ball into the final third.

13' Mohammedan are slowly but surely taking control of the game as they push for an opener, forcing the Indian Air Forces side to be on the defensive and look for a counter-attack.

11' The Black Panthers are unable to do anything really dangerous from it and almost cause a problem for themselves with a counter-attack, but the Indian Air Forces can't get the ball into the box.

10' Free-kick from a decent area for Mohammedan after Joseph is clattered by a reckless challenge, forcing the referee to hand the Black Panthers a set-piece. Can they do anything from it?

7' CHANCE! Nikola Stojanovic sends in an inviting cross from a corner that meets Arijeet Singh's head, but Shibinraj Kunniyil produces a sharp save to deny him a goal.

5' Mohammedan create a half-chance as a long ball is flung into the box to Marcus Joseph, who can't control it properly before Arashpreet Singh forces him to give the ball away for a goal-kick.

3' A bright start from the Indian Air Force side which looks more eager to get the ball forward and get among the goals. Midfielder Prabjot Singh looks very bright with his movement early on.

1' KICKOFF! Mohammedan Sporting kick start the game and will be attacking from the right to left.

04:10 PM The teams are coming out on the pitch and will now take part in pre-match rituals before kick-off. Meanwhile, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee is also in attendance at the Salt Lake stadium for the Durand Cup opener today and is out on the pitch to greet the players.

04:05 PM The Indian Air Force team has some well-known names in Indian football in former Gokulam Kerala goalkeeper Shibinraj Kunniyil and former Minerva Punjab defender Arashpreet Singh. They're no pushovers and will definitely want to put up a formidable fight to upset the Black Panthers.

04:00 PM Mohammedan Sporting has gone with a relatively strong team in their Durand Cup opener despite being involved in the Calcutta Football League as well. They've opted to play three foreigners in Syrian defender Shaher Shaheen, Serbian midfielder Nikola Stojanovic and striker Marcus Joseph - who played a big role in helping Gokulam Kerala win the last edition of the Durand Cup in 2019.

3:55 PM A rather eventful opening ceremony is taking place here before the game as the traditional bands from the Indian army entertains the fans. The music makes it feel like the start of a grand tournament - which the Durand Cup definitely is.

Here are the Indian Air Force vs Mohammedan SC lineups:

Indian Air Force Starting XI: Shibinraj Kunniyil (GK), Jijo Jerone, Amal Das, Arashpreet Singh, Shahbaz Md, Biswajit Halder, Mohammad Danish, Prabhjot Singh, Mohammad Aqib, Ashok Kumar, Vivek Kumar.

Mohammedan SC Starting XI: Zothanmawia (GK), Arijeet Singh, Safiul Rahaman, Shaher Shaheen, Manoj Mohammad, Faisal Ali, Milan Singh Ongnam, Nikola Stojanovic, Azharuddin Mallick, SK Faiz, Marcus Joseph.

03:50 PM Mohammedan SC and Indian Air Force will want to begin their respective campaigns in style with a victory in the opening fixture. The Black Panthers are a two-time champion of this tournament, but their last title win came in 2013. They are also the first civilian club to win the Durand Cup. Indian Air Force, on the other, are confident of posing a strong challenge. The side is a combination of youth and experienced players and will want to go the distance this time.

Read Match Preview here.

Follow Indian Air Force vs Mohammedan SC live action here with Khel Now.

03:45 PM Hello and welcome to Khel Now's live coverage of the Durand Cup 2021. The tournament kicks off today with Mohammedan SC facing the Indian Air Force in a season opener. We will be keeping you company here, through a fascinating evening of football.

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