34th Federation Cup - Day 6: Churchill Bros & Salgaocar's qualify for semifinals

The 34th edition of the Federation Cup entered third and final round for the Groups B and D today and it was a successful day for the Goan clubs as Churchill Brothers SC and defending champions Salgaocar FC grabbed the two semifinal spots on offer to make it three out of three Goan clubs so far in the semifinals.


Group B

Air India 0-4 Churchill Brothers SC - Goals: 0-1 Henry Arnaud Antchouet Rebienot (22'), 0-2 Roberto Mendes Silva (64'), 0-3 Akram Moghrabi (84'), 0-4 Bikramjit Singh (90')

Churchill Brothers SC reached the semifinals of the 34th Federation with a 4-0 victory against Air India in their final Group B match at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri. The Goans topped the group with seven points from three matches.

Churchill Brothers went ahead in the 22nd minute when Henry Arnaud Antchouet Rebienot scored off a solo effort. They had to wait until the 64th minute for Brazilian Roberto Mendes Silva (Beto) to curl in a free-kick and Air India was harmed by the sending-off of their captain Micky Fernandes only a couple of minutes later for stamping on Beto.

Towards the end Churchill Brothers added two more goals with striker Akram Moghrabi scoring in the 84th minute and young midfielder Bikramjit Singh in the last minute of the match.


Mohun Bagan AC 2-1 Mohammedan Sporting Club - Goals: 1-0 C.S. Sabeeth (50'), 2-0 Manish Maithani (53'), 2-1 David Sunday (63')

Mohun Bagan AC won 2-1 in an inconsequential match against Kolkata rivals Mohammedan Sporting Club at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri, but at least they finished second in their group with four points ahead of qualifiers Mohammedan Sporting who finished on three points.

After a goalless first session the game picked-up with Mohun Bagan scoring two goals in three minutes through striker C.S. Sabeeth (50th) and midfielder Manish Maithani (53rd) to give a weakened Mohun Bagan a comfortable 2-0 lead. But striker David Sunday reduced the deficit in the 63rd minute and late in the match he should have equalised, but Mohun Bagan walked away with the three points and some of its pride restored.


Group D

Prayag United SC 2-0 United Sikkim FC - Goals: 1-0,2-0 Mohammed Rafique (2',14')

Prayag United SC won 2-0 against newcomers United Sikkim FC at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur to salvage some pride after having been eliminated from the tournament prior to this match, while United Sikkim FC will have to regroup ahead of the I-League after losing all their three matches.

Prayag United SC did not waste much time in asserting their supremacy in the match. In only the second minute youngster Mohammed Rafique found the back of the net and in the 14th minute he would add another goal. It remained this way until the end.


Pune FC 1-2 Salgaocar FC - Goals: 0-1 Luciano Sabrosa (7'), 1-1 Douhou Sey Djidja Pierre (12'), 1-2 Anthony D'Souza (27')

Defending champions Salgaocar FC overcame Pune FC 2-1 at the JRD Sports Complex in Jamshedpur to qualify for the semifinals of the 34th Federation Cup from Group D. Salgaocar topped their group with nine points after winning all their matches.

It was an open match and Salgaocar made the better start with their Brazilian captain Luciano Sabrosa heading in the lead, but the lead lasted only five minutes as Ivorian Douhou Sey Djidja Pierre equalised. Knowing that only a win would take them into the semifinals Pune FC attacked, but paid the price as Anthony D'Souza scored with a beautiful shot in the 27th minute.

Thereafter both sides had their chances, but Salgaocar maintained the lead and won in the end 2-1 to qualify for the semifinals.