Bengaluru FC beat Mumbai to win maiden Durand Cup title

Bengaluru FC and their talismanic captain Sunil Chhetri won their first Durand Cup football tournament title on Sunday, defeating Mumbai City FC 2-1 at the Salt Lake Stadium.

In an entertaining match, Siva Sakthi (10th minute) and Brazilian Alan Costa (61st minute) scored for the winners, while Apuia scored for the Mumbai side.

Siva Sakthi’s fifth tournament goal gave the Blues an early lead.

Jovanovic hit a long ball from deep, putting Mourtada Fall under pressure with Siva on his shoulder. The bounce eventually caught the Senegalese defender off guard, and Siva pounced with a measured chip over the keeper.

The game remained intense in the second half. Five minutes after the restart, Jahouh delivered a measured long ball that fell for Chhangte, who did well to get away from two BFC defenders but shot over with only the keeper to beat.

BFC took the lead for the second and final time in the game when Brazilian Alan Costa jumped highest and nailed a header into the back of the Mumbai net off a Sunil Chhetri corner aimed at the far post.

CHAMPIONS, AGAIN! 🏆 Bengaluru, your Blues are bringing the #DurandCup home. 🔥 #WeAreBFC #MCFCBFC pic.twitter.com/aHaOvjvooM

— Bengaluru FC (@bengalurufc) September 18, 2022

The most notable chance for Mumbai in the second half came in the 77th minute, when Spanish midfielder Ripoll went on a solo run from midfield and unleashed a booming drive that beat Gurpreet but struck the post.

With six minutes remaining, Mumbai gave it one last shot, and Greg Stewart came close in the 94th minute, but his effort was also just wide.