Bengaluru FC clinched a thrilling 1-0 victory over Kerala Blasters in the last quarter-final of the 133rd Durand Cup, played here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) on Friday. A late injury-time goal by Pererya Diaz ensured the Blues advanced to the next round of the 133rd IndianOil Durand Cup, where they will face Mohun Bagan SG in the second semi-finals.
Both teams entered the match with a 4-3-3 formation. Bengaluru FC, under coach Gerard Zaragoza, made six changes to their starting lineup, while Kerala Blasters’ coach Mikael Stahre opted for two changes. The game started with a tense moment in the opening minute itself when Kerala Blasters’ goalkeeper Som Kumar clashed heads with Bengaluru’s striker Pererya Diaz, forcing the Tuskers’s coach to make an early substitution and bringing in backup goalkeeper Sachin.
The first half was a display of tactical play, with both sides testing each other’s defences but failing to break the deadlock. Bengaluru FC dominated possession, but despite their control, they couldn’t capitalise, with only one of their six shots on target. Kerala Blasters came close to scoring in the 26th minute, but Blues’ goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu denied the effort from Noah Wail Sadaoui.
The second half saw the Blues pushing forward aggressively, but they were unable to convert their opportunities. A notable chance came in the 56th minute, but Pererya Diaz failed to connect with a cross from Shivaldo. Bengaluru continued to dominate possession, yet their efforts were consistently thwarted by a resilient Kerala defence. Sunil Chhetri’s introduction in the 67th minute added more pressure on Kerala Blasters, but both teams struggled to find a decisive moment.
In the dying moments of injury time, Bengaluru was awarded a free-kick just outside the box. Chhetri’s attempt was blocked by the wall, leading to a corner. From that corner, Pererya Diaz finally broke the deadlock, slotting the ball into the near post in the 94th minute to seal the win for Bengaluru FC.
With this hard-fought victory, Bengaluru FC will now prepare to face Mohun Bagan SG in the semi-finals, following Mohun Bagan’s 6-5 penalty shootout win over Punjab FC earlier in the day, after a 3-3 scoreline in the regulation time.
