123rd Durand Cup: Semifinal line-up complete

The semifinals of the 123rd Durand Cup will be played over the next couple of days at the Ambedkar Stadium in Delhi with the quarterfinal league coming to an end earlier today as Chirag United trashed Indian Air Force 5-0 to qualify as the fourth and final team for the semifinals are Churchill Brothers SC, JCT and East Bengal had done so over the last couple of days. And it went mainly as per expected script with the I-league top teams making their way through in Group A, B & D; while in the weaker Group C a revamped JCT got past relegated Sporting Clube de Goa and qualifiers Garhwal Heroes from the capital.

In Group A defending champions Churchill Brothers had to face two Army sides, in the hosts Army Red and qualifiers MEG from Bangalore. And it was once more the sheer goal scoring might of Odafe Onyeka Okolie which took the Goans into the semifinals. Odafe scored five of Churchill Brothers seven goals, but the teams weaklink was also exposed as they conceded three goals against weaker opposition. The team could miss goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya and defender Gouramangi Singh when the I-League starts later this month.

Group B was the most competitive of all the groups with Chirag United SC only qualifying for the semifinals due to their huge 5-0 win against Indian Air Force, being better then Pune FC by three goals. The two I-League sides had played out a goalless draw and then the goal difference became an issue against the weaker Airmen.

Group C looked evenly poised with no clearcut favourites as JCT have lost a number of their players in the transfer period, Sporting Clube de Goa is also rebuilding after their relegation, while Garhwal Heroes were happy to play on this stage. The Garhwal Heroes did upset Sporting Clube de Goa, but JCT won both their group matches to gain a place amongst the last four.

A lot of people were looking forward to Group D then the question was can East Bengal continue their unbeaten run. In an all I-League affair East Bengal continued their winning run with wins against Air India and Salgaocar SC. The red-and-gold have now won 18 matches in a row, but it the wins weren't as easy as the results might sounds. In both games the Trevor Morgan coached side went down a goal, but where able to turn things around which is also a good sign for the coach.

In the first semifinal tomorrow defending champions Churchill Brothers SC will take on JCT from Punjab, while on Thursday in a small Kolkata derby East Bengal would take on Chirag United. The final is planned for Sunday, November 7.