SC Delhi produced a stunning second-half turnaround to beat Durand Cup debutants FC Raengdai 5-1 in the first quarter-final of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup at the Birsa Munda Football Stadium on Sunday.
Raengdai looked on course for a historic victory after Chongtham Kishan Singh’s spectacular long-range effort gave them the lead in the ninth minute. However, SC Delhi transformed the contest after the interval, with substitute Joseph Sunny scoring twice before Rodriguinho, Juan Sebastian Peña and Augustine Lalrochana completed a comprehensive victory.
FC Raengdai started brightly and enjoyed plenty of possession in the opening exchanges. Their pressure was rewarded when Kishan Singh unleashed a powerful effort from around 20 metres that dipped sharply, struck the underside of the crossbar and bounced into the net.
SC Delhi responded immediately and created several openings, with captain Lamgoulen Semkholun and Peña coming close to an equaliser. Raengdai goalkeeper Kamei Pantiga and a disciplined defensive unit led by Rojen Meetei did an excellent job of protecting their advantage.
SC Delhi came closest to scoring in the 33rd minute when Lalrinliana Hnamte’s header from a difficult angle struck the post. Raengdai retained their 1-0 lead at half-time despite sustained pressure from their opponents.
The game changed dramatically following the introduction of Sunny. The substitute injected greater pace and directness into SC Delhi’s attack and eventually found the breakthrough in the 57th minute. After receiving the ball from Peña, Sunny found space on the edge of the box and drilled a low shot between two defenders and into the bottom corner.
Ten minutes later, Sunny completed the comeback. Peña produced another outstanding pass to send him through on goal, and the substitute calmly rounded off the move with a composed finish for his second of the afternoon.
Raengdai struggled to regain control as SC Delhi began dictating the tempo. Pantiga kept his side in contention with several impressive saves, including one to deny Rodriguinho in the 78th minute.
The forward finally got his reward four minutes later, showing excellent individual skill to evade two defenders before finding the net with his left foot.
Peña then added a fourth in the third minute of stoppage time after a brilliant run into the penalty area, before Lalrochana completed the rout in the eighth minute of added time with a stylish finish into the far corner.
The 5-1 triumph sends SC Delhi into the semi-finals, where they will face either Indian Army Football Team or East Bengal FC on August 19 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
Despite the defeat, Raengdai can take pride in an impressive debut campaign that saw them reach the quarter-final stage.
Meanwhile, the Durand Cup Tournament Society has continued its initiative to reward emerging talent, with players receiving ₹1 lakh awards. Samuel K. Vanlalpeka and Naorem Somananda Singh of the Indian Air Force Football Team were recognised as Group C’s Emerging Players.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
