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There were eight goals in four matches on Monday but crucially none in the virtual quarter-final between Dempo and Mohammedan Sporting, a result that confirmed the former’s progression to the last four of the 35th Federation Cup.
Group D: Unbeaten Mohammedan Sporting eliminated
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Dempo advanced to the semi-finals at the expense of Mohammedan Sporting after the sides played out a goalless draw for the second time this season. Both teams finished with seven points each but Dempo prevailed because of their slightly superior goal difference. The late goal that Mohammedan conceded in their opening game against United Sikkim proved to be costly as they got eliminated despite being unbeaten.
This was a game of very few chances but Dempo did enough to earn a point and now will face the winner of Group B (Bengaluru FC, Sporting Clube, Rangdajied United or East Bengal) in the last four. Arthur Papas’ side defended solidly but Mohammedan were a bit wasteful in the second half with the club’s top scorer Josimar uncharacteristically squandering a couple of gilt-edged opportunities. The Kolkata club had won the Durand Cup earlier in the season and now only have the IFA Shield as a remaining target for silverware while they still have work to do to survive in the I-League.
The group was always going to be a direct tussle between Dempo and Mohammedan and the Goan club will take plenty of belief into the semi-finals despite only beating second division teams so far. Those second tier sides – Bhowanipore and United Sikkim – went head-to-head in the early kickoff and Bhowanipore emerged victorious following a first half strike from Daniel Bidemi.
Results
Bhowanipore 1-0 United Sikkim
Dempo 0-0 Mohammedan Sporting
Final Group D table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| Dempo | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | +4 |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 7 | +3 |
| Bhowanipore | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| United Sikkim | 3 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 0 | -5 |
Note: Dempo progress due to a better goal difference
Group A: Churchill Brothers end group stage with perfect record
Churchill Brothers had already booked their place in the semis so both games on Monday were inconsequential. However second place was up for grabs and in the end it went to second division outfit Eagles FC. The Kerala club defeated I-League’s United SC 2-0 thanks to a brace from Nigerian Koko Sakibo, who is now the tournament’s leading scorer with four. United SC coach Eelco Schattorie fielded a weakened side but Eagles coach Stanley Rozario will take a lot of confidence from this result and the overall showing of his team in their debut Federation Cup appearance.
In the evening kickoff, Churchill Brothers won a five-goal thriller against Pune FC with Trinidad & Tobago international Anthony Wolfe scoring his first two goals for the Goan club. The I-League holders went in front through Wolfe but it was cancelled out by Pune’s Gabriel Fernandes. Lenny Rodrigues restored Churchill’s lead just before the break but Gabriel equalised again at the start of the second half. However the Red Machines had the last laugh with Wolfe netting the winner as Mariano Dias’ side finished the group stage with three straight wins despite playing without a foreign defender. Pune might be chasing the I-League title but they clearly had a dismal Federation Cup campaign with the need of a foreign genuine centre-forward evident.
Results
United SC 0-2 Eagles FC
Churchill Brothers 3-2 Pune FC
Final Group A Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| Churchill Brothers | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 9 | +3 |
| Eagles FC | 3 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 4 | +1 |
| United SC | 3 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 3 | -2 |
| Pune FC | 3 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 1 | -2 |
Best Performers
Foreigner: Anthony Wolfe (Churchill Brothers) – The 2006 World Cupper scored a match-winning brace and also assisted one goal. Wolfe played well in the first two games but the brace will surely help him settle in Indian football and give confidence to perform even better in the semi-final.
Indian: Gabriel Fernandes (Pune FC) – The young winger started the season with Dempo but limited gametime there saw him move to Pune and he made a big impact against Churchill Brothers as he scored twice although it wasn’t enough to avoid defeat.
