Mohammedan Sporting win 2-1, clinch Gold Cup

KOLKATA: Mohammedan Sporting Club (MSC) edged past Sikkim Himalayan FC 2-1 to claim the 39th Sikkim Governor’s Gold Cup at the Paljor Stadium in Gangtok on Tuesday.


Vanlalbiaa Chhangte (4th and 79th), who was adjudged as the player of the tournament, scored twice after Sikkim Himalayan equalized through Eugene Nimako (62nd).

MSC took the lead as early as the second 4th through Vanlalbiaa, who rounded Sikkim Himalayan goalkeeper Urgen Pintson to slot from close range.

Encouraged by their start, MSC piled on the pressure only to be denied by Urgen, who produced a string of brilliant saves to keep his side in the match.

MSC though continued to dominate the proceedings, but poor decision-making let them down in the final third which saw Dipendu Biswas’ charges go into the breather with only a solitary goal lead.

Sikkim Himalayan came out of the sheds fired up to bring themselves back into contention, controlling the ball, winning set pieces and keeping MSC pinned into their own back third and their efforts were soon rewarded in the 62nd minute when a chipped ball headed into the path of Eugene Nimako who ran onto it and smacked it hard at goal. Priyant failed to put in a clean save and the ball trickled past the goal line.

With time running out and the game heading towards penalties, MSC reclaimed their lead in the 79th minute when Vanlalbiaa found the net with a powerful drive at the end of a determined run and cross from the left.