A hat-trick from Caro Angellot guided Mumbai 5s past Kolkata 5s and into the Premier Futsal final here on Saturday.
Angellot opened his account by side-stepping the Kolkata 5s goalkeeper and a defender — leaving them both sprawled on the floor — before tapping the ball in.
He then notched up another by stripping Pula of the ball and going on a fine solo rule. A calm Ramirez finish then gave Mumbai 5s a 3-0 lead at half time.
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After the restart, Vander Carioca and Gabriel found the net to pull Kolkata close. Colombian futsal specialist Angellot then showed his rivals the door after snatching possession from Gabriel and side-footing an accurate strike from the half-line.
The two marquee players, Ryan Giggs (Mumbai 5s) and Hernan Crespo (Kolkata 5s), did little of note.
In the second semifinal, Kochi 5s sneaked past Goa 5s 2-1. Chaguinha gave Kochi 5s a 1-0 advantage early, before Goa equalised through Vampeta. The home crowd at the Pedem Sports Complex went berserk as Vampeta bulldozed his way through his markers.
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A goalkeeping error from Goa’s Bebe, however, allowed Chaguinha to record a brace. The dying minutes saw the host come agonisingly close to levelling the score, through attempts by Georgievsky, Rafael and Cafu. The visitor managed to escape unscathed.
The first-half saw rival stars Cafu and Michel Salgado go at each other, with neither willing to give an inch. The pushing and shoving — all part of hard-nosed marking — was a delight to watch.
The results (semifinals): Mumbai 5s 4 (Caro Angellot 3, Ramirez) bt Kolkata 5s 2 (Vander Carioca, Gabriel); Kochi 5s 2 (Chaguinha 2) bt Goa 5s 1 (Vampeta).