Bhubaneswar, April 23 (IANS) Matija Babovic’s late equaliser helped Inter Kashi pull off a stunning result as they defeated Indian Super League (ISL) runner-ups Bengaluru FC, 3-5 on penalties, after the sides played out a 1-1 draw in regulation time, in their Kalinga Super Cup Round of 16 clash at the Kalinga Stadium, here on Wednesday.
Ryan Williams’ strike early in the second period had given the Blues the lead before Babovic’s late strike forced the game into the tiebreaker.
Aleksandar Jovanovic wore the captain’s armband for the Blues and replaced Rahul Bheke at the heart of the backline. Lalremtluanga Fanai came in place of Suresh Wangjam, and Vinith Venkatesh started for Gerard Zaragoza’s side.
Inter Kashi got off to a good start, with Haorem Tomba Singh and skipper Nikola Stojanovic making interceptions in midfield to set the early tone. Former Bengaluru FC player Edmund Lalrindika made early inroads in the final third using his pace as Inter Kashi came closest to opening the scoring through Prasanth Karuthadathkuni, who hit the post after welcoming in Edmund’s pass.
Tomba tested Gurpreet with a shot on target from range, and at the other end, Inter Kashi threw bodies on the line as Bijoy V. and David Munoz blocked attempts from Williams and Noguera as the spaces began to open up. Bhutia dragged his attempt wide after Williams threaded one through to the right-back as the sides entered the lemon break goalless.
Williams forced a save from Shubham Dhas in the very first action of the second half, and moments later, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu reacted brilliantly to deny Prasanth’s deflection and Stojanovic’s free-kick as both teams pushed on in search of the opening goal.
Zaragoza brought on Jorge Pereyra Diaz for Fanai, and the pressure paid off in the 62nd minute when Williams curled in a fine left-footed finish after Inter Kashi failed to clear Noguera’s clipped pass into the area.
Sunil Chhetri and Suresh Wangjam entered the fray in place of Vinith and Mendez, and the fresh legs offered greater impetus in attack, allowing Namgyal Bhutia and Naorem Roshan Singh to combine well in attack and almost linking up for the Blues’ second goal.
Despite more than half attempts for Zaragoza’s side in the second half, they could not add to their advantage, and this proved costly as substitutes Aritra Das and Matija Babovic combined to pull Inter Kashi level in the 87th minute as the tie headed to penalties. Shubham denied Noguera’s spot-kick, and Inter Kashi’s players converted all five penalties to ensure passage to the quarterfinal.
–IANS
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