Durand Cup 2022 Preview: Mohammedan SC seek revenge on FC Goa

The Gaurs outclassed the Black Panthers in their previous meeting.

The 131st edition of the Durand Cup kicks off on Tuesday, 16th August, 2022. The longest-running competition in Asian football is set to act as a curtain-raiser for the new Indian football season. 11 teams from the Indian Super League (ISL), five from the I-League and four Army teams will fight for the title. In the opening game, defending champions FC Goa will face Mohammedan SC. It’ll be a recap of last year’s finale, which the Gaurs barely managed to win. The Black Panthers are out for revenge and also to kickoff their campaign in spectacular fashion in front of home fans. However, a young FC Goa side will look to play spoilsport and prove their mettle.

The Stakes

Mohammedan SC

Mohammedan SC had a case of ‘so close yet no reward’ in the previous edition of the Durand Cup. They fought their way to the final, only to lose by a very small margin to the Gaurs. Now, they’ll hope to reignite their Durand Cup winning dreams by undoing their wrongs from last time.

To solidify themselves as major contenders for the title, they have to start well. The Black Panthers are facing a young, reserves FC Goa side. A loss can be both humiliating and shattering for them as well as the I-League’s reputation. They’ll hope to pick up a compelling win and raise the players’ confidence levels ahead of even more difficult clashes.

FC Goa

The Gaurs have opted to send a young, inexperienced squad this time around. In the last Durand Cup edition, they won because their squad was filled with ISL regulars. This time, they’re piling their hopes on the youth for this season opener.

However, one positive is that they’ll have a team full of energy and hunger to prove themselves. It’ll be one of those events where the youngsters will aim to gain the attention of Carlos Pena’s coaching staff. Underestimating this talented young core can be any team’s undoing. Being the defending champions, however, this first game has a lot riding on it for FC Goa. They need a positive result to do their ‘defending champions' tag justice and prove their ability even with a ‘weakened’ squad.

Team News

The Black Panthers have a fully fit squad to choose from for the Durand Cup opener. Unlike their opponents, they’ll at least be able to make use of some quality foreigners. Marcus Joseph, their star striker, is roaring to go for Mohammedan. He won the Golden Boot after scoring five goals in the previous edition of the Durand Cup. Nonetheless, he will be determined to win this time around too!

The Kolkata giants also have sturdy defenders like Shaher Shaheen and Ousmane N’Diaye to protect their backline. Ex-Vitesse striker Abiola Dauda and Tajikistan international Nuriddin Davronov are also likely to make their debut for the Black Panthers in the Durand Cup.

FC Goa, of course, have sent their development squad to the Durand Cup. This is because their senior squad is yet to commence with their pre-season training. Out of the squad of 26, only four are part of the senior team - Muhammed Nemil, Hrithik Tiwari, Ayush Chhetri and Phrangki Buam.

A lot of new faces will be visible and many will make their senior debuts in the Durand Cup. As mentioned earlier, it’ll also be an opportunity for the young guns to catch Pena’s attention and carve a place in the ISL squad. Similar to their opponents, FC Goa also have a fit squad available for the opener, with players guaranteed to put in electrifying performances.

Head-to-head

Mohammedan SC and FC Goa have locked horns once prior to this encounter. That dates back to October, 2021, in the grand finale of the very same event. The match remained witness to an extra-time free kick goal from Edu Bedia which shattered the silverware hopes of the Black Panthers.

Probable line-ups

Mohammedan Sporting: Sankar Roy (GK), Samad Ali Mallick, Wayne Vaz, Shaher Shaheen, Abhash Thapa, Milan Singh, Nuriddin Davronov, Christy Davis, SK Faiaz, Azharuddin Mallick, Marcus Joseph

FC Goa: Hrithik Tiwari (GK), Aditya Salgaonkar, Lesly Rebello, Rayan Menezes, Deeshank Kunkalikar, Ayush Chhetri, Lalremruata HP, Muhammed Nemil, Delton Colaco, Phrangki Buam, Mevan Dias

Man to watch

Marcus Joseph

Marcus Joseph has been a threat to defenders ever since he came to India. His goalscoring prowess has haunted the oppositions, be it the Durand Cup or the I-League. Back in 2019, when Gokulam Kerala won the competition, it was Marcus Joseph who secured both the Golden Boot and Golden Ball awards.

Even last time, when the Durand Cup was back after COVID, Joseph won the Golden Boot jointly with FC Goa's Devendra Murgaonkar. In the I-League 2021/22, the forward went on to score 15 goals to bag the Golden Boot award. FC Goa's young brigade must always be on their toes since Joseph won't hesitate in picking up trivial chances and turning them into something big.

Muhammed Nemil

Muhammed Nemil had been the young 'star' of Durand Cup 2021. At 21, the lad scored four goals in the competition, which included a brace against Jamshedpur FC. His other two goals came against Sudeva Delhi and Delhi FC, respectively.

Although Nemil was too young, he enjoyed 360 minutes of action in the Indian Super League 2021/22 across 14 appearances. Undoubtedly, midst the troop of youngsters, Nemil will be the candidate Deggie Cardozo will rely on to guide the team.

Did You Know?

• FC Goa became the first ISL team in history to win the Durand Cup last year. They also became the 42nd team to lift the prestigious title.

• Nuriddin Davronov was part of the Tajikistan side that finished as runners-up in the 2008 AFC Challenge Cup, which was won by India.

• Mohammedan SC have only won the Durand Cup twice in their history. They were, however, the first Indian team to win the competition (that too in the pre-independence era) – having won it in 1940.

Telecast

The game between Mohammedan SC and FC Goa will take place at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, on 16th August, 2022. The time of the match has been rescheduled to 6 PM IST (it was a 7 PM kick off initially).The Durand Cup 2022 will be broadcasted on the Sports18 network. It will be shown on Sports 18 1 SD & HD as well as Sports 18 Khel (Hindi commentary). It will also be available to stream on Voot and Jio TV.