The Hindu : Sport / Football : East Bengal keeps title

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Monday, Nov 22, 2004

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Sport - Football

East Bengal keeps title

By Our Sports Reporter

KOLKATA, NOV. 21. Kingfisher East Bengal asserted its supremacy as it performed a hat-trick winning the Calcutta Football League's Super Division crown for the third time in a row. The defending champion defeated Mohammedan Sporting 3-0 in the penultimate super-six league match to ensure an unassailable lead.

Having won the league in the previous two seasons (2002 and 2003), this was the fourth time East Bengal accomplished a hat-trick in the 106-year-old history of tournament. The triumph also advanced East Bengal's record to 30 title wins (against Mohun Bagan's 25), while its best came up between 1970 to 1975 when the red-and-gold brigade won the crown six times without break.

East Bengal won 11 matches while drawing remaining six to tally 39 points. With only one match remaining and the immediate opponents — Mohun Bagan and Ever Ready SA — tied on 35 points, the verdict against Mohammedan Sporting was enough to ensure the title for the defending champion.

Bagan and Ever Ready are now left to fight for the runner-up spot. Mohammedan finished fifth with 25 points from its quota of 18 matches.

The first goal was scored by Shylo Malswamtluanga, who moved up from his midfield groove to finish a sequence of quick passes initiated by Douglas Da Silva and relayed on to the former by the other Brazilian Paolo Da Silva. The 12th minute opener fired the fleet-footed Mizo to do some thing even better, which he showed in 35th minute with a solo effort to increase the lead (2-0). Paolo, who missed at least three scoring opportunities, finally made amends in the 65th minute when he rounded off the scoring with a neat lob over the Sporting custodian, Chinmoy Banerjee.

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