Kolkata: Mohun Bagan and East Bengal will enter as favourites but the limelight will be on Real Kashmir in the semifinals of the 129th Durand Cup here on Wednesday. East Bengal will take on Gokulam Kerala followed by Real Kashmir's clash with Mohun Bagan in the double-header at the Salt Lake Stadium. The summit clash is slated for Saturday. Seven months after they had beaten them 2-1 in an impressive debut season in the I-League, Real Kashmir will be meeting the Mariners at the same venue.
The Snow Leopards, who finished third in their debut I-League season, did not have a pre-season back home due to the restrictions in the valley following the revocation of the state's special status. The Real Kashmir players were cut off from their family due to the communication clampdown in the valley. Still, the David Richardson-coached 29-member contingent, with five players from Kashmir and one from Jammu, kept its date with the Durand Cup. They had one practice session before their season-opener against reigning I-League champions Chennai City FC, who had come with a reserve side.
"Real Kashmir is all about being against the odds and coming up trumps. We play with heart and soul," coach Robertson said. "A lot of players had come from long journeys from Africa, Europe and wherever... Regardless of whom you play against, to do that and on the first day or the second day of seeing each other is an incredible achievement." Their situation was aptly summed up by Chennai City FC coach Akbar Nawas who drew a parallel with war-ravaged Iraq's Asian Cup triumph in 2007. "If you remember Iraq won the Asian Cup by having similar circumstances. So that means when you have such circumstances, it might motivate you," Nawas had said after their 0-1 loss.
