Cuttack: Mohun Bagan and Mumbai FC fought a goalless draw in a crucial quarterfinal match of the 32nd Federation Cup Football tournament at the Barabati Stadium here on Friday.
In a fierce contest, both the teams sweated it out in the middle to score a goal till the final hooter and the result meant the Mumbai team to exit from the event.
While the Kolkatans were keen to grab full points from the match to accumulate six points from two outings, Mumbai FC desperately needed a win to stay in the tournament.
Even as the attack and counter-attack by strikers from both the sides were foiled by swift stoppers, a capacity crowd in the picturesque floodlit stadium cheered Mumbai custodian Ishant Devnath for his rock-solid role below the bar.
Devnath's awesome stops frustrated the Bagan strikers as he stunned the Kolkatans by neatly latching to a powerful hit by Brazilian striker Jose Marcio Barreto at the 79th minute.
The goalkeeper repeated a similar feat two minutes later when he grabbed a hit off Chidi Ideah of Ghana.
Mohun Bagan had earlier gained three points beating Lajong FC 1-0 on Wednesday.
For Mumbaikars, it was their second consecutive loss having been beaten by Salgaocar of Goa 0-2 on the same day.
The next encounter between Mohun Bagan and Salgaocar is
slated on September 26 would be crucial as the teams have four
points each.
PTI
First Published: Friday, September 24, 2010, 23:59