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Group A: Cup relief for relegation-threatened Red Machines
I-League champions Churchill Brothers became the first club to book their place in the Federation Cup semis and that too with a game to spare. Earlier on Friday, United SC had given themselves a chance by beating Pune FC 1-0 but both those clubs were eliminated following Churchill’s dramatic 2-1 win over second division outfit Eagles. After two rounds of games, Churchill have six points while United SC have three but even if the Kolkata club matches the Goan outfit’s tally, the Red Machines will progress because of their 2-1 win on matchday one.
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United SC showed great character to get the better of Pune as the purple shirts lost their star striker Ranti Martins through injury at the start of the second half but the Nigerian’s replacement, Baldeep Singh turned out to be the match winner after some great work by Liberian Eric Brown. Pune might be third in the I-League but Mike Snoei’s side have had a dismal Federation Cup campaign as much like their opening game against Eagles, the Red Lizards looked clueless in the final third and created very few chances from open play. Despite Riga Mustapha’s class and experience, he isn’t a genuine centre forward and the lack of one is hurting India’s Asian Champions League representative.
The win for United SC gave Churchill the chance to qualify for the semis even before their final group game against Pune FC. The Goan club were frustrated for 74 minutes by Eagles’ resilience while their finishing was also poor but eventually the deadlock was broken by Balwant Singh from Abdelhamid Shabana’s delivery. Churchill’s lead didn’t last for long but Koko Sakibo equalised for the Kerala club and at that point it looked like the I-League holders had blown the chance of reaching the last four. But Charles Dzisah got sent off after cynically fouling Anthony Wolfe and from the resulting freekick Shabana found the back of the net.
This progression to the semi-finals is a massive lift for a Churchill Brothers team that has been poor in the I-League with too many changes in the foreign department. The two-time Indian champions are still threatened by relegation but for now they are two wins away from landing a major trophy that they have never won in the past. While technical director Subhash Bhowmick got all the praise for making Churchill I-League champions last May, credit this time must be given to head coach Mariano Dias for getting the best out of his players in Bhowmick’s absence. The impressive showing in the Federation Cup will certainly give them confidence for the second half of the I-League campaign.
Results
United SC 1-0 Pune FC
Eagles FC 1-2 Churchill Brothers
Group D: Dempo and Mohammedan Sporting set for virtual quarter-final
While Group A is decided, D remains unresolved but it has shaped out the way everyone expected. The two I-League clubs of the group recorded their second straight wins on Friday as Mohammedan Sporting defeated Bhowanipore 2-0 while Dempo thrashed United Sikkim 3-0. The two sides clash in a virtual quarter-final on Monday but its advantage Dempo because even a draw will see them progress to the semis while Mohammedan must record a win. Bhowanipore and United Sikkim make an expected early exit but both have showed signs of doing well in the second division.
Mohammedan Sporting coach Sanjoy Sen warned his players to not take Bhowanipore lightly and the first 75 minutes proved to be difficult as Mohammedan failed to break the deadlock and also had a few nervy moments at the back. Penn Orji failed to convert a first half penalty also as the Nigerian hit the bar on the retake after finding the back of the net on the first attempt. In the end it was club’s top scorer Josimar who finally put the Kolkata giants in front by heading home a Manish Maithani corner. Rakesh Masish’s late wonder strike gave the scoreline a convincing look but Mohammedan could well pay the price for their missed opportunities in this game as Dempo have a superior goal difference at the moment.
Ironically it was a former Mohammedan Sporting player who helped Dempo overtake Sen’s side in the group table. Tolgay Ozbey had been released by Mohammedan last month and he almost joined United SC. But in the end the Australian signed for Dempo and his dream debut suggests the former East Bengal star has been rejuvenated under his compatriot Arthur Papas. Tolgay scored once in each half while Beto got the other as Dempo cruised to a convincing win after the opening game difficulties against Bhowanipore. Besides Tolgay, Afghan captain Zohib Islam Amiri also made his Dempo debut alongside Australian Simon Colosimo in central defence and the duo’s experience will give the Goan club the stability that they had been missing earlier in the season.
Monday’s showdown between Mohammedan Sporting and Dempo promises to be a tense affair but crucially Tolgay will be unavailable because he was released by the Kolkata club on the condition that he wont face the black and whites this season. But Dempo still have enough resources to get a point at least and the I-League meeting between the two sides finished goalless. These two clubs have been poor in the I-League so far but now are one result away from reaching the Federation Cup last four. Whichever teams goes through will fancy their chances of going all the way.
Results
Bhowanipore 0-2 Mohammedan Sporting
United Sikkim 0-3 Dempo
Best Performers
Tolgay scored twice on his Dempo debut
Foreigner: Tolgay Ozbey (Mohammedan Sporting) & Abelhamid Shabana (Churchill Brothers) – Both Tolgay and Shabana were inspirational for their respective sides. The Australian scored two vitals goals while the Egyptian set up one and netted the winner to book the Goan club’s place in the semis.
Indian: Balwant Singh (Churchill Brothers) – The former Under-23 international is making a strong claim for a senior call-up as he bagged his second goal of the tournament with a brilliant header against Eagles. Balwant now has eight in the I-League and Federation Cup with only Sunil Chhetri having scored more among Indians.
