Mohun Bagan got the better of fellow I-League side Shillong Lajong 3-1 in the second quarterfinal of the Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium on Wednesday.
Goals from S.K. Faiaz, Nikhil Kadam and an own goal by Shillong's Liberian defender Laurence Doe, ensured Mohun Bagan a place in the semifinal.
They will take on the winners of Friday's quarterfinal between Bengaluru FC and Neroca FC, on April 17.
Both Mohun Bagan coach Shankarlal Chakraborty and Shillong's interim head coach Alison Kharsyntiew fielded identical 4-4-2 formations.
Mohun Bagan played Faiaz on the left wing and Nikhil Kadam on the right to start with and had Cameroonian sniper Dipanda Dicka and Lebanese Akram Moghrabi in the attack.
While Shillong fielded Phurba Lachenpa in goal in place of Nidhin Lal, who had a brilliant Round of 16 game, and were attacking upfront with 19-year old Captain Samuel Lalmuanpuia playing just behind Ivory Coast's Abdoulaye Koffi.
Mohun Bagan began aggressively even as the first shot at goal came from Samuel for Shillong as early as the fourth minute.
Faiaz then gave Mohun Bagan the lead in the 12th minute. Japanese midfielder Yuta Kinowaki passed ahead to Dipanda Dicka outside the box who chipped inside to Faiaz.
The winger chest-trapped it down and then got a second bite of the cherry despite being closed down by two Lajong defenders. His kick on the turn and while going to ground beat Lachenpa as the ball slotted into the right corner.
Ten minutes later, Doe headed a Faiaz cross clear, but only as far as Nikhil Kadam, 30-35 yards outside the Shillong penalty area.
Nikhil trapped and unleashed a curling left footer which beat Lachenpa and went in off the underside of the bar and came out. After some initial confusion, referee Santhosh Bhaskaran awarded the goal to Mohun Bagan.
In the 25th minute, Bhaskaran gave Lajong a penalty after Kingshuk Debnath brought down Samuel inside the box. But, Samuel's shot was saved by the experienced Bagan keeper, Shilton Paul.
In the 28th minute, however, Shillong pulled one back, when a chip from the mid-field found Samuel inside the box, whose lobbed volley while going to the ground and with his back to the goal, was headed over Shilton's hands by an onrushing Koffi.
In the 60th minute, talented right-back Arijit Bagui on the overlap, floated in a cross aimed at Moghrabi inside the Lajong box. Both Akram and Doe went for the ball, but unfortunately for the latter, his effort to clear the ball resulted in the header putting the ball inside the Shillong goal.
The goal came against the run of play but Mohun Bagan took complete control after this.
Shillong Lajong FC tried to put together a few attacks in the last moments of the game and Abdoulaye Koffi got a chance to pull back a goal in the injury time as well but Mohun Bagan managed to hold on to the two-goal lead.
