East Bengal in semis

Last year’s runners-up East Bengal registered a thrilling 4-3 win over Kalighat Milan Sangha here on Tuesday to set up a semifinal clash against Churchill Brothers in the 34th Federation Cup.

In a match full of drama at the Kanchenjungha stadium, East Bengal trailed twice to be 0-2 and 2-3 down against the qualifiers, Kalighat MS, but Edeh Chidi and youngster Manandeep Singh rose to the occasion with a brace each.

Luck also favoured the red-and-gold brigade as Sporting Clube de Goa lost 1-2 to ONGC in another must-win match at the SSB ground to ensure East Bengal’s smooth passage to the semifinals. Playing without their star central defender Uga Okpara, East Bengal conceded early goals as James Giblee (11th) and Tanmoy Kundu scored in a space of five minutes.
In the other group C match played concurrently at the SSB ground, Sporting Clube found the going tough against ONGC who scored through David Lalmuanpuia (17th) and Tariff Ahmed (89th) for a fine win.

The Goan team scored their solitary goal through Dawson Fernandes (62nd).East Bengal finished with seven points to top group C, while ONGC (6) and Sporting Clube (4) finished second and third respectively. East Bengal will face Churchill in the first semifinal on Sept 27, while it will be an all-Goan battle between defending champions Salgaocar and Dempo in the second last-four match on Sept  27.
The final is slated for September 30.