Bidyashagar Singh proved to be a super-sub once again as scored twice in the second half to help East Bengal erase a goal’s deficit and beat Bengaluru FC 2-1 in a Group-A match of the 129th Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday.
The win helped the Kolkata side seal a semifinal spot.
In other matches, Gokulam Kerala FC brightened its semifinal chances by blanking Indian Air Force 3-0 in Group-D, while FC Goa developmental side got the better of I-League champion Chennai City FC by the odd goal in three in a Group-C match to stay in the hunt for a semifinal.
Needing a draw to ensure a spot in the last-four, East Bengal topped the group with an all-win record (nine points) after besting BFC’s second team.
Ajay Chhetri gave BFC the lead latching on to a rebound after teammate Edmund Lalrindika’s 17th minute effort came off the crosspiece.
Bidyashagar delights
East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez introduced Bidyashagar after the break and he found the equaliser by the hour mark with a nice half-volley. A product of the East Bengal youth system, Bidyashagar scored the winner in the 74th minute with a fine solo effort.
Brace by Marcus
Gokulam Kerala, which outplayed Chennaiyin FC’s development side 4-0 in its first outing, found Trinidad and Tobago import and skipper Marcus Joseph striking twice and Shibil Muhammed netting the other against IAF.
FC Goa, which got the better of Army Green by a solitary goal in its previous match, lined itself up for a last-four spot in Group-C.
Liston Colaco put Goa ahead in the 10th minute before CCFC restored parity in the 18th minute through Mashoor Shereef’s header. Nestor Dias scored in the 31st minute to help FC Goa net full points.
The results:
Group-A: East Bengal (Bidyashagar Singh 59, 74) bt Bengaluru FC 1 (Ajay Chhetri 17); Group-C: FC Goa 2 (Liston Colaco 10, Nestor Dias 31) bt Chennai City FC 1 (Mashoor Shereef 18); Group-D: Gokulam Kerala FC 3 (Marcus Joseph 43, 86, Shibil Muhammed 56) bt IAF 0 .
