Mahindra United survived yet another penalty shootout to pip Salgaocar 4-2 and set up a title clash with Churchill Brothers in the Durand Cup football tournament on Monday.

Mahindra have reached the final with the dubious distinction of scoring just one goal in regulation time in the tournament so far. Churchill, meanwhile, grounded Air India 3-2 after twice coming back from arrears.

International Gourmangi Singh (17th minute), Nigerian Mboyo Iyomi (35th) and his compatriot Odafe Onyeka Okolie (81st) scored for Churchill while Dhanchandra Singh (seventh minute) and Santosh Koli (27th) found the target for Bimal Ghosh’s team.

While Mahindra will try to add to their two Durand titles (1998 and 2001), it will be the first final for Churchill.
The Mahindra-Salgaocar match did not see any goals over 120 minutes of open play and neither side seemed likely to get on the scoresheet. Derrick Pereira’s Mahindra, in fact, have reached the title match with back-to-back tie-breaker victories over Sporting Clube-de-Goa and Salgaocar. 

For a change, regular goalkeeper Sandip Nandy was between the posts in the tie-breaker and not Subhashish Roychowdhury, who saw the team home in the previous match.

In the shoot-out, Salgaocar skipper Rocus Lamare and Shylo Malswamtlunga sent their kicks way over the target. Nigerian Felix Chimaokwu and Joe Rodrigues were successful, but it was to no avail. For Mahindra, Ghanain Yusuf Yakubu, Harpreet Singh, Douhou Sey Djidja Pierre from Ivory Coast and Sunil Kumar found the target.

In the first semifinal, Air India went ahead early when Dhanchandra headed in a Koli free-kick from the left flank.

Churchill drew level 10 minutes later. A beautifully flighted free-kick from outside the area by Okolie found international Gourmangi. The defender’s first attempt from close range was blocked by custodian Raju Ekka but the rebound went in off Gourmangi’s body.

The match had really opened up by this time and Air India regained the lead through another setpiece. A free-kick from Nepoleon Singh from near the right touchline was headed back into the danger area by Nigerian Bashiru Abbas and a diving Koli headed it in past goalkeeper Vinay Singh.

Churchill coach Mario Soares then replaced Vinay with Lalit Thapa. His team levelled for the second time when Okolie weaved his way into the box. His shot was parried by Ekka but team-mate Mboyo Iyomi was at the far post to knock the rebound in.

The winner came when Okolie trapped a long aerial ball and advanced. Ekka came out to thwart the Nigerian but Okolie went past him in a flash and rounded off defender Uttam Singh to find the target.