Durand Cup 2022: Mohammedan SC becomes the first to qualify for knockouts

Mohammedan Sporting (MDSP), the previous year's runner-up and the first Indian winners of Asia's oldest football tournament, became the first team to make it through to the quarter-finals of the 131stIndianOil Durand Cup, defeating the Indian Air Force Football Team (IAFFT) by a brace of goals at Kolkata's Kishore Bharati Krirangan in the first group game of Friday.

French defender Ousmane Cardinal Ndiaye got the first goal in the 33rdminute of the first half, while substitute Rahul Paswan got the second in the 87th minute of the second, as MDSP completely outplayed the Airmen on the day. MDSP as a result now have three wins from three games, with one final game against Bengaluru FC (BFC) remaining, but that result will not move them out of the top two in Group A.

MSDP started the game brightly and made inroads early in the game. Captain Marcus Joseph missed a few easy chances in the early exchanges.

Their persistence finally paid off in the 33rd minute of the first half. MDSP will have Zudika to thank, for persisting from the right to win a corner. Ousmane Ndiaye dinked a ball right to the Subhajit and in the back of the net.

Faslu could have doubled the advantage in the 42nd minute when after some good work by Davronov, he found himself one on one with the keeper, but Subhajit was up to it this time.

Chernyshov made two changes at half-time, bringing in forwards Abhishek Halder and Rahul Paswan.

Pritam had the first chance in the half when a Faiaz square run down the middle found him in space but his right-footer flew above Subhajit's goal. In the 57th, Rahul Paswan had a first golden chance to double the lead when he intercepted a catastrophic back-pass, rounded the keeper and shot into the side-netting of an open goal. Abhishek Halder also missed two chances.

A minute later, Marcus found a Faiaz run with a wonderful through taking out the entire Air Force defence, but Subhajit came out on time to rescue the situation.

Marcus was at it again in the 65th, this time driving into the box and laying it off beautifully for Paswan, but the latter ballooned his connection way over Subhajit's goal.

MDSP finally found a second goal in the 87th minute, when Marcus, after taking a corner, got the ball back from Ndiaye. He chipped in and Paswan executed a wonderful spot jump to nail a header into the back of the goal.

Abhash Thapa was adjudged the Man of the Match.