Durand Cup 2022: How can ATK Mohun Bagan ensure qualification for the knockout stage?
Going by the current standings, Mohun Bagan is placed second in Group B behind already qualified Mumbai City FC.
ATK Mohun Bagan’s Durand Cup 2022 campaign hangs by a thread despite beating the Indian Navy in their previous match. The Mariners kicked off their campaign with a loss to Rajasthan United. They followed it up with a draw against Mumbai City FC, followed by a solitary goal win against most fierce rivals East Bengal. The ATK Mohun Bagan vs Indian Navy match ended in the former’s favour with a 2-0 scoreline on Wednesday.
The 2020 ISL runner-up has seven points from four matches with two wins, one loss and one draw. Going by the current standings, Mohun Bagan is placed second in Group B behind already qualified Mumbai City FC. Here’s what the Mariners need to do to qualify for the knockout stage of the Durand Cup.
Durand Cup knockouts: Scenarios of Mohun Bagan qualification
There are two scenarios in which Mohun Bagan can qualify for the Durand Cup knockout stage. The first scenario would be when Rajasthan United fail to pick up a win against Indian Navy in their final group game. Bagan will go through to the quarter-finals since they will have at least two points more than the I-League outfit .
The Mariners needed victory to to keep themselves in contention for the knockout stage and Juan Ferrando’s team delivered when it mattered the most. ATK Mohun Bagan opened the scoring through Lenny Rodriguez in the 18th minute.
Deepak Tangri found Manvir Singh on the right before he squared the ball to Fardeen Ali Mollah. The youngster took out two defenders out before playing on Rodriguez, who created space on his left and beat keeper Vishnu with a grounded left-footer to the near corner.
Lenny almost got his second four minutes later with a wonderful curler from distance only for the Indian Navy keeper to make the save. Fardeen got his second assist of the match providing assist for Kiyan to score. Navy had a chance to pull one back following Bagan defender Pritam Kotal’s mistake, however,
Shreyas VG hit his effort wide. Shreyas had yet another goal scoring opportunity only to be denied by the goalkeeper. The game slowed down further in the second half with AT Mohun Bagan kept possession to themselves through the game to ensure they pocket all three points.
