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The possibility of a derby has come true.
The chance for a derby in the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup has finally become a reality. The knockout phase schedule for the Durand Cup was officially released on Tuesday. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan are set to compete against each other in the fourth quarter-final of the Durand Cup on Sunday, August 17, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, kicking off at 7 pm. This year, the Durand Cup featured 24 teams divided into 6 groups. The champions of the 6 groups and the top two second-placed teams from all the groups have advanced to the quarter-finals.
Qualifying teams for the quarter-finals
East Bengal secured their spot in the quarter-finals by winning Group A with nine points from three matches.
Mohun Bagan qualified for the quarter-finals as the champions of Group B, also earning nine points from three matches. In Group B, Diamond Harbour FC ended up in second position with six points from three matches and secured a quarter-final spot as one of the two best second-placed teams across all groups.
Jamshedpur FC qualified for the quarter-finals as champions of Group C with nine points from three matches.
Bodoland FC advanced as the champions of Group D, also with nine points from three matches.
NorthEast United FC made it to the quarter-finals as the champions of Group E, accumulating seven points from three matches, while Shillong Lajong FC finished in second position in their group with six points from three matches and qualified as one of the two best second-placed teams.
Indian Navy FT entered the quarter-finals as champions of Group F, gathering 7 points from three matches.
Knockout stage schedule
Quarter-finals schedule
Now, let’s review the quarter-final schedule.
- Shillong Lajong will take on Indian Navy FT in the first quarter-final of the Durand Cup. This match is scheduled for Saturday, August 16, at 4 pm at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.
- The second quarter-final will feature Northeast United vs. Bodoland FC, taking place on Saturday, August 16, at 7 pm at the Sports Authority India Stadium in Kokrajhar.
- In the third quarter-final, Diamond Harbour FC will compete against Jamshedpur FC on Sunday, August 17, at 4 pm at the JRD Tata Sports Complex Football Stadium in Jamshedpur.
- Finally, the fourth quarter-final will see East Bengal face Mohun Bagan on Sunday, August 17, at 7 pm at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
Given that this is a derby in the quarter-finals, at least one team from these two major clubs will progress to the semi-finals, while the other will be eliminated.
Semi-finals schedule
Now, let’s examine the semi-final schedule.
- The first semi-final will match the winner of the first quarter-final against the winner of the second quarter-final. This game is set for Tuesday, August 19, at 7 pm at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Shillong.
- The second semi-final will see the winner of the third quarter-final against the winner of the fourth quarter-final, scheduled for Wednesday, August 20, at 7 pm at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
Thus, in the second semi-final, the winner of the Diamond Harbour FC and Jamshedpur FC match will face the winner of the East Bengal and Mohun Bagan match.
Final match schedule
The champions of both semi-finals will then compete against each other in the final. The match will be played on Saturday, August 23, at 5:30 pm at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.
I have uploaded a video on YouTube in Bengali related to the topic discussed in this blog, and you can find the link to that video here: