Bhubaneswar, Apr 27 (UNI) Mumbai City booked their place in the semi-finals of the Kalinga Super Cup, with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Inter Kashi at the Kalinga Stadium, here on Sunday.
After a goalless first half, Lallianzuala Chhangte's 71st minute goal proved the difference in a game of fine margins. Mumbai will now face the winners of the quarter-final between NorthEast United FC and Jamshedpur FC.
A cautious first half was played out mostly in midfield with neither side able to register a single shot on target in the period.
It was a predictable set of characters leading the two sides' offensive charges, Edmund Lalrindika and Nikola Stojanovic's influence countered by Lallianzuala Chhangte and Jorge Ortiz.
The best chance of the half fell to Vikram Partap Singh, who was played through with a brilliant long ball by Nathan Rodrigues.
The ball was perfectly within his stride and would have opened up a chance to shoot straight at goal with no defenders nearby. The forward's touch was too heavy and almost immediately was closed down, the half chance taken away.
Mumbai City were the ones keener to get on the scoreboard in the second half, Kashi happy to defend, drag them into deep waters and look for a chance on the counter.
In the 53rd minute, Niko Karelis shot an acrobatic effort wide from inside the six-yard area after Mehtab Singh's initial header was tipped on to the cross by Shubham Das. The chance fell from a corner, which in itself was a product of a sharp save made by Das from Ortiz's snap volley off PN Noufal's cross.
Das was at the centre of the drama again soon after, diving full stretch to palm away an accidental volley by his defender which seemed destined for the back of the net. The chance had been created by another Ortiz long pass into the box.
Mumbai's reward came in the 71st minute via Chhangte. After PN Noufal's low cross was badly cleared, Niko Karelis had two shots on goal from seven yards away, both his attempts blocked by desperate Kashi defenders.
The second rebound fell into the path of Chhangte. He fired a first-time effort at the near post and the ball bounced off the upright and in. Mumbai had finally broken through.
Jorge Ortiz was presented the Kalinga Player of the Match award by Sonali Chand, OAS, Officer on Special Duty, Sports and Youth Services Department, Government of Odisha.
UNI BM SS