| Durand Cup | |
| Year: | 2021 |
| Country: | India |
| Dates: | 5 September 2021 – 3 October 2021 |
| Num Teams: | 16 |
| Matches: | 29 |
| Goals: | 105 |
| Scoring Leader: | Devendra Murgaonkar Marcus Joseph (5 goals each) |
| Prev Season: | 2019 |
| Winners: | FC Goa |
| Count: | 1 |
| Second: | Mohammedan |
| Venue: | West Bengal |
| Goalkeeper: | Naveen Kumar (165 mins per goal) |
The 2021 Durand Cup was the 130th edition of Durand Cup, the oldest football tournament in Asia. Like its previous edition, the tournament was hosted in West Bengal.[1] The tournament is jointly hosted by the Eastern Command of the Indian Armed Forces and the Government of West Bengal.[2]
The Durand Cup was cancelled in 2020 due to worldwide COVID-19 pandemic and was reorganised in 2021 after a year gap.[3] Gokulam Kerala were the defending champions, having defeated Mohun Bagan in the 2019 final.[4] [5]
Mohammedan made their first Durand Cup final appearance since 2013 against debutants FC Goa.[6] The match went into the extra time with no goal from either side. Goan captain Edu Bedia's 105th minute solitary goal sealed Goa's victory against Mohammedan.[7] Goa became the fourth Goan team to win the Durand Cup after Salgaocar, Dempo and Churchill Brothers.
A total of 16 teams participated in the competition; 5 clubs from Indian Super League, 3 clubs from I-League, 2 clubs from I-League 2nd Division and 6 teams representing the Indian Armed Forces.
Mohun Bagan and East Bengal were invited to be part of the tournament but most of the first team players of Mohun Bagan were on international break and also had their AFC Cup knockouts coinciding with the Durand Cup fixtures, thus they backed out from the tournament, while East Bengal refused participation because of investor issues. Since this year India celebrates golden jubilee of its victory over Pakistan for the liberation of Bangladesh in 1971, DFTS invited Mohammedan SC and Sk. Jamal Dhanmondi Club from Bangladesh to participate in the 130th edition of the tournament. But due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Bangladesh, the clubs were unable to confirm their participation.
| Position | Prize money | |
|---|---|---|
| width=20% | Champions | [13] |
| Runners-up | ||
| Semi-finalists | ||
| Season awardees | [14] | |
| Total | ~ |
Source: Durand Cup
| Kalyani | Kolkata | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Kalyani Stadium | Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan | Mohun Bagan Ground | |
| Capacity: 20,000 | Capacity: 85,000 | Capacity: 20,000 | |
| No. of matches: 9 | No. of matches: 14 | No. of matches: 6 | |
See main article: 2021 Durand Cup knockout stage.
| Mohammedan | 1–0 | Gokulam Kerala | |
| Army Red | w/o | Bengaluru United | |
| Goa | 5–1 | Delhi | |
| Bengaluru | 3–2 | Army Green |
| Mohammedan | 4–2 (a.e.t) | Bengaluru United | |
| Goa | 2–2 (7-6 pen.) | Bengaluru |
See main article: 2021 Durand Cup final.
Note: Only top goal scorers with 3 or more goals are mentioned.
Note: Player's team score mentioned first
| Chisom Chikatara | Gokulam Kerala | Assam Rifles | 7–2 | 19 September 2021 |
| Rank | Player | Club | Clean sheets |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Kunzang Bhutia | Bengaluru United | 2 |
| Naveen Kumar | Goa | ||
| 2 | Ajmal PA | Gokulam Kerala | 1 |
| Albino Gomes | Kerala Blasters | ||
| Hrithik Tiwari | Goa | ||
| Lalbiakhlua Jongte | Hyderabad | ||
| Lara Sharma | Bengaluru | ||
| Lovepreet Singh | Delhi | ||
| Roluahpuia | Army Green | ||
| Vishal Yadav | Jamshedpur | ||
| Zothanmawia | Mohammedan |
