Reigning Indian Super League champions Hyderabad FC reached the semi-finals of the 131st edition of IndianOil Durand Cup, defeating Rajasthan United FC 3-1, in the fourth and final quarter-final played in Kolkata at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on a rainy Monday evening.
Nigerian goal-machine Bartholomew Ogbeche opened the scoring for the ISL champions, with Akash Mishra and Javier Siverio getting the other two. Uruguayan Martin Chavez scored off a penalty for Rajasthan.
As a result, both semi-finals are now finalised with Mohammedan Sporting taking on Mumbai City FC on Wednesday while Hyderabad go up against Bengaluru FC a day later.
Both those games will be played at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.
Pitch conditions would be key to the game given the amount of rain the city had received from a day before the game and it was clear that Manolo Marquez meant business from the word go when he started with Ogbeche and it was not long before the Nigerian got on the score sheet. Borja Herrera delivered the curler with his left from the left flank and Ogbeche got ahead of his marker expertly and drilled a header past keeper Vishal Joon, beating him at the near post. It was just six minutes on the clock.
HFC did…
