East Bengal swamps Mohd. Sporting

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA, SEPT. 28. Kingfisher East Bengal waltzed into the quarterfinals of the 107th IFA Shield football thrashing Mohammedan Sporting 5-1 in the concluding Group A pre- quarterfinal league match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday.

East Bengal posted its second consecutive win to top the three- team group with six points, while Manaksia Tollygunge Agragami, having three points from its 4-0 win over Mohammedan Sporting, also booked a berth in the last eight knockout stage. Sporting crashed out of the meet losing both its matches.

Muktijoddha Sanshad beat the Indian juniors (under-19) 1-0 to ensure the top spot in Group C. Following the Bangladesh team, which netted six points winning both its matches, into the quarterfinals was the Vietnam visitor - Nam Dinh FC. Nam Dinh, having lost to Muktijoddha and beating Indian juniors, finished second in the group. The positions in the other two groups - B and D - will be decided on Saturday.

East Bengal, the defending champion, came out with a whirlwind performance blowing away the little resistance that its opposition could offer. Mohammedan Sporting, hurtled into a precarious state by the sudden resignation of its coach Gautam (Chandu) Roy Chowdhury, looked like a bunch of amateurs against the formidable East Bengal.

Luck was with Sporting until the 27th minute when striker Joe Paul Ancheri bulged the net with a trademark long- ranger. The red-and-gold brigade had the opportunity to open the scoring in the very first move after the kick-off but the Sporting goal survived the crisis owing to the laziness of the two Ghanaians - Suley Musah and Jackson Agygpong - both of whom stood looking at the ball that sailed past an open goal following a freekick by Tushar Rakshit.

Next it was Ancheri, in the sixth minute, who could not find the target even as East Bengal earned an indirect- freekick on top of the six-yard box after the Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper had handled a back-pass.

The floodgates were opened after Ancheri struck midway through the first session, capping a brilliant solo effort. The star striker from Kerala also scripted the second goal setting up Nigerian colleague Omoloja Olalekan, unmarked inside the box, with a measured minus. Omoloja complemented with a half-volley that gave the opponent custodian little chance.

Mohammaedan Sporting received another blow in the first session as its striker Ohidul Islam - who was also named the acting coach for the match - was sent off after the Assam referee M.K. Roy found him guilty of assaulting opponent right- back Suley Musah during a tackle in the 43rd minute.

The second session proved more beneficial for East Bengal as Musah, who had been making repeated forays on the overlap, enhanced the lead in the 47th minute with a pile-driver taken from around 25 yards. Continuing with the attacks, East Bengal found the fourth goal through attacking midfielder Chandan Das just three minutes after he was introduced (in place of Rakshit) in the 62nd minute.

Mohammedan Sporting earned a consolation goal through Nigerian Striker Lawrence in the 80th minute as East Bengal seemed to be relaxing with a big lead. I.M. Vijayan, appearing after a prolonged lay-off with an injury as substitute for Ancheri, completed the scoring for East Bengal in the 85th minute.

In the other match, Muktijoddha did not have to exert much to defeat the Indian juniors. Nigerian striker Emeka Achilefu headed home the all-important goal in the 43rd minute availing a cross from colleague Ariful Kabir Farhad. The Indian boys tried hard to level the score but the goal remained elusive despite a few close chances that the forwardline failed to utilise.

In the two matches scheduled for Saturday, Pameiras-B meets CSL Bhratri Sangha in Group D, while FC Kochin takes on Ever Ready FC in the concluding Group B match.

East Bengal's Chandan Das (right) scores his team's fourth goal past Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Arijit Sengupta in the IFA Shield football tournament in Kolkata on Friday.

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