Kolkata, Sep 4 (Inditop.com) Goa’s Churchill Brothers sailed into the semi final with a 2-0 win over Lajong F. C, while city giants Mohun Bagan stormed past George Telegraph 4-0 in the 114th IFA Shield football tournament group league matches Friday.
Playing before packed galleries on their home ground, Bagan struck thrice in the first session with Edeh Chidi scoring a brace and James Singh finding the target once. Shuva Kumar increased the gulf in the closing stages of the group C game.
Bagan now need only a draw to book a semi final berth in their last group match opposite Mahindra United.
At Barasat’s Vidyasagar stadium, Khan Thang Paite and striker Okolie Odafa netted for Churchill who marched into the last four from group B on the strength of a better goal average than Mohammedan Sporting. Both Churchill and Sporting have logged four points each, but while Churchill has a 3-1 goal difference, Sporting’s figure reads 2-1.
Paite struck in the tenth minute while’s Odafa’s goal came off a penalty minutes before the final whistle.
Bagan went ahead in the very third minute when Chidi put the ball home after it had slipped out of George goalkeeper Sibram Dey’s hands following a James Singh free kick. The ball popped out of Dey’s gloves and landed straight to Chidi who did the needful.
The scoreline became 2-0 in the 18th minute with Dey again partially saving a Marcos Pereira corner, but James Singh headed the rebound into the goal.
Hardly had the cheers died down, when Kalia Kuluthongan’s through came to an unguarded Chidi whose grass-cutting went in.
Substitute Suva Kumar got the only goal of the second half with a thundering pile driver that found the target with aplomb.
rounak