Date:02/09/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/09/02/stories/2008090251231900.htm

Sport - Football

Sporting Clube enters last four

NEW DELHI: Thoudam Singh struck all the goals as Sporting Clube de Goa scored a 3-0 win over Tata Football Academy in the 121st Osian’s Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Monday. The victory placed the Goan team in the semifinals.

JCT downs Air-India

In the other Group ‘B’ encounter, JCT scored a 1-0 victory over Air-India and finished with an unbeaten record. The winner came in the 71st minute through a scorching right-footer by Baldeep Singh.

With Thoudam in splendid form, Sporting dominated the contest against the TFA lads. Once Thoudam found the net six minutes from the break, Sporting grew in strength and left TFA gasping in the second session.

On resumption, Thoudam increased the tally in the 13th minute and nine minutes later buried TFA with his third goal. The result was on expected lines as Sporting attacked from the flanks and its defence gave little room for the TFA strikers to explore.

JCT chose to take things easy since it had already qualified for the semifinals. The Punjab outfit rested its Brazilian striker Eduardo Escobar and was hardly stretched by Air-India. — Special Correspondent