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East Bengal cruises into final

By Our Special Correspondent

East Bengal's Mike Okoro dodges past Air India's custodian Raju Ekka to score in the semifinals of the Durand Cup football tournament in New Delhi on Saturday.

NEW DELHI NOV. 8. It was a one horse race. East Bengal cracked three goals and cruised into the final as Air India failed to take off in the 116th Durand football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Saturday.

Taking the field without the country's best player, Baichung Bhutia, out with an injury, East Bengal toyed with Air India throughout the mismatch. There could have been a dozen goals but East Bengal's forwards, Mike Okoro in particular, apparently did not have the zeal to score goals against a hapless opponent, which had sneaked into the semifinals at the expense of a relatively better team like Vasco Club.

Air India may argue that it had earned its berth with a better performance, scoring more goals, against qualifier Jammu and Kashmir Bank, but it did not have anything to show in justification of its presence in the semifinals when it was content at taking hopeless shots at the goal.

After making some feeble attempts through Mike Okoro and Kulothungan, East Bengal put the first goal on the board in the 22nd minute. Okoro and Kulothungan did the ground work this time, while an unmarked Malsaw Tluanga unleashed a left-footer that slithered into the goal off the post.

Chandan Das let go a 25-yarder, to consolidate the position for East Bengal, with about 10 minutes from half-time. It was a straightforward shot, but it boomed into the net, past a hapless Air India defence, that stood rooted to the ground.

On resumption, it was once again Okoro's turn to take over the entertainment business, as he muffed three more chances. With the crowd calling for his replacement, Okoro made amends, repairing some of his hurt pride, as he literally walked into the goal, gently escorting the ball after getting rid of a defender and the goalkeeper Raju Ekka.

Thereafter, substitute Alvito D'Cunha hit the bar with a left-footer even as the ball was tipped over by an agile Air India goalkeeper, while Kulothungan missed another chance when he had accelerated the ball in a solo, a bit more than to his own liking.

Air India won a round of applause, a rare experience for the team this day, from the sparse gathering, as Mohammed Rizwan came up with a long-ranger that flew off the bar.

East Bengal, assured of its 25th entry into the Durand final, and looking for its 16th title when it takes on Salgaocar Club in the final on Monday, made a few substitutions, and gave a chance for Raman Vijayan to feel the turf.

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