East Bengal ensures semifinal berth

By Our Sports Reporter

CALCUTTA, JULY 4. Kingfisher East Bengal, playing its second Group B league match, recorded a slight improvement in its performance before beating Mohammedan Sporting 2-0 and ensure a semifinal berth in the McDowell Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday.

Finishing its league campaign, East Bengal netted full six points from its wins against Food Corporation of India and Mohammedan Sporting today, to top its group. The latter two teams now will have to fight it out for the other semifinal spot on offer in the three-team group.

In today's match, the glamour team put out a sluggish performance for most part of the match and found the goal a difficult prospect as its players could at best manage half- hearted attempts. It required the abilities of two substitutes, Sheik Sanjeev and India junior player Ragui Singh, to mark a late resurgence that saw the red-and-gold brigade through with full points.

With Mohammedan Sporting posing a dogged resistance, Sanjeev scored first on a delectable attempt that dissolved the general gloom of the match in the 72nd minute.

The forward, replacing an off colour Ukrainian Andrei Malchevski in the attack-line, brought some movement in the East Bengal attacks. Sanjeev, arriving in the 58th minute of the match, troubled the opposition defence with his pace though his footwork remained a little suspect and prevented him from penetrating deep into the rival box.

Realising his handicap, Sanjeev tried long-rangers. His first attempt remained a bit wide of the target. But he was spectacular in the 72nd minute when he collected a midfield through, that had the Mohammedan Sporting on the wrong foot, and positioned himself perfectly before taking the attempt. His left- footed shot, lacing power with precision, had the ball swerving a big angle before beating a diving Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper, Gopal Das. Sanjeev had thus ended the tentative finishing of his team that had kept the goal elusive. The other forward, Dipendu Biswas, had earlier contributed with his rustiness to the goal drought which his younger colleague, Sanjeev, ended.

The winner next saw another of its young recruits, Ragui Singh, enhance the tally to 2-0 in the 85th minute. Singh, playing his first match for his team after being released from the under-19 national camp, replaced Amit Das in the midfield and East Bengal benefited from his agility when he out-paced his marker, Soumen Sarkar, to divert home an angular shot taken by Sanjeev.

Mohammedan Sporting made effective counter attacks but fell behind its opponent in terms of converting chances. Sporting had its share of chances but none of them could be realised as its forwards Kasif Jamal and Abdul Kahleq floundered on the goal mouth.

Mohun Bagan plays Manaksia Tollygunge Agragami in a Group A match in Wednesday.

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