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Jamshedpur FC reached the Kalinga Super Cup 2025 semi-finals after a 5-4 penalty shootout win over NorthEast United FC. They will face Mumbai City FC, who edged Inter Kashi 1-0.
Mumbai City FC edged past Inter Kashi. (@MumbaiCityFC/X)
Jamshedpur FC secured a hard-fought semi-final spot in Kalinga Super Cup 2025 after edging NorthEast United FC 5-4 in a dramatic quarter-final penalty-shootout at the Kalinga Stadium on Sunday. The match had ended in a stalemate after regulation time, forcing a nervy penalty shootout that went into sudden death.
Jamshedpur have proven to be a thorn in Juan Pedro Benali’s side after having been knocked out of the ISL Playoffs with a 2-0 win on March 30.
Khalid Jamil’s men showed great composure under pressure, even after Jordan Murray and Stephen Eze missed during the initial set of five penalties. NorthEast United had their own share of troubles, with Guillermo Fernandez and Michel Zabaco missing their early attempts. Despite rallying to tie the shootout at 3-3, NorthEast faltered in sudden death when Asheer Akhtar skied his shot, while Ashutosh Mehta and Lazar Cirkovic converted for Jamshedpur.
The win sets up a semi-final clash between Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC on Wednesday, April 30.
The match itself was a tactical battle, with both coaches adopting a cautious approach from the outset. With attacking threats such as Alaaeddine Ajaraie, Nestor Albiach, and Guillermo Fernandez for NorthEast, and Javier Hernandez Gonzalez, Javier Siverio and Jordan Murray for Jamshedpur, defensive discipline was paramount.
The first half saw few clear-cut chances as both sides focussed on closing down space and maintaining shape. The first notable opportunity came for NorthEast United in the 15th minute, when Ajaraie’s thunderous free-kick from 32 yards was palmed away by Albino Gomes, ensuring the scores stayed level.
Jamshedpur also had their moments, with Hernandez and Siverio linking up well, but they failed to seriously trouble Gurmeet Singh in the NorthEast goal.
The pattern continued in the second half, with both teams struggling to break down stubborn defences. Jithin MS came closest for NorthEast with a well-struck volley from 21 yards that whistled just past the post, while Siverio and Murray were repeatedly denied by Gurmeet’s safe handling.
Substitutions were made by both managers to try and inject fresh impetus, but they largely failed to influence proceedings, and the stalemate persisted until the final whistle.
In the resulting shootout, it became a test of nerves. After the early misses from both sides, the tie-breaker was forced into sudden death. Thoi Singh Huidrom briefly kept NorthEast United’s hopes alive with a composed finish, but when Asheer Akhtar blazed his effort over the bar, Jamshedpur had the last laugh.
Chhangte’s lone strike helps Mumbai edge past Inter Kashi in cagey affair
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.
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.
(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – IANS)
- Location :
Bhubaneswar, India, India