East Bengal begins campaign with thumping win

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA, SEPT. 24. Kingfisher East Bengal gave a thundering start to its 107th IFA Shield football campaign drubbing local opponent Manaksia Tollygunge Agragami 4-1 in a pre-quarterfinal Group A league encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Monday.

In a Group C match, played at the same venue, Muktijoddha Sangshad from Bangladesh upset Vietnam premier league runner-up, Nam Dinh FC, 3-1 to brighten its chances for a quarterfinal berth.

The opening day of the tournament, with an assortment of famed teams led by the Palmeiras-B from Brazil, witnessed good action. Both the matches turned out to be thrillers as East Bengal shrugged off the lethargy and lack of form that has plagued its performance so far in the season with its powerful showing against strong Tollygunge Agragami while Muktijoddha thumped its seeded opponent.

Agragami, the team known for its giant-killing abilities under seasoned coach Amal Dutta, put a up a strong challenge but the red-and-gold brigade did not look to be in the mood to be subdued. East Bengal struck in the very first minute of the match through its Nigerian striker Omoloja Olalekan, who made the most of the very first counter attack following the kick-off.

With Agragami still smarting under the early jolt, Joe Paul Anchery made it 2-0 for East Bengal in the 19th minute. Anchery, finding his place in the team after another break owing to injury, struck the goal from about 25 yards out, reminding his fans the power and accuracy of his left foot that made him such a terror with long-rangers.

On the only occasion when East Bengal appeared to be a bit relaxed in the match, Agragami reduced the margin getting its Nigerian recruit Akem Abul Alem to head in a brilliant centre from his midfield colleague Sasthi Duley in the 31st minute. Agragami earned a chance to equalise three minutes later but its stopper-back Parthasarathi Dey missed the target despite being put in possession in front of the goal by a Duley corner.

Resuming after the interval, East Bengal consolidated on its lead when midfielder Awoemi Isiaka banged home the third goal in the 49th minute, receiving a defence-splitting through pass from Tushar Rakshit. Chandan Das, replacing Rakshit, added his name to the scorers' list with a brilliant finish from the top of the box in the 89th minute.

In the other match, Muktijoddha proved too strong for the youthful Vietnam team. Though they impressed with their ball skills and accurate passing, the lack of experience of its players seemed to hamper Nam Dinh's performance.

Achilefu strikes twice

On the other hand the Bangladesh team gained from the presence of its Nigerian striker Emeka Achilefu. The Nigerian, who had brief stints with Kolkata clubs like Mohun Bagan and Agragami before moving over to Bangladesh, fully utilised his knowledge of the venue in getting the two strikes. He scored the first in the 22nd minute and again helped his team seal the fate of the match scoring in the 81st minute.

Nam Dinh equalised in the 50th minute through Nguyen Luong Phuc's goal but the joy was shortlived as Muktijoddha's midfielder Nazrat Yarkin got back the lead in the 57th minute.

In the two matches scheduled for Tuesday, Mohun Bagan meets Ever Ready in Group B, while Palmeiras-B takes on Tata Football Academy in Group D.

Striker Omoloja Olalekan (left), who opened East Bengal's account in its 4-1 win over Tollygunge Agragami, is tackled by Parthasarathi Dey in the 107th IFA Shield football tournament in Kolkata on Monday.

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