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Fed Cup: Mohun Bagan knocked out, Goa pip Royal Wahingdoh 2-1

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IANS Margao/Vasco (Goa)
Last Updated : Jan 04 2015 | 11:10 PM IST

Three second-half goals helped Salgaocar SC beat Mohun Bagan 4-1 and knock the Kolkata giants out of the Federation Cup football tournament here Sunday.

Douhou Pierre, the Ivory Coast striker, scored a brace, while Clifton Dias and Zambian defender Francis Kasonde netted the other two goals for the victorious Goan side in a Group B match at the Tilak Maidan.

From three matches, Mohun Bagan have two points, four less than Salgaocar.

In another Group A encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, Sporting Clube de Goa edged past Royal Wahingdoh 2-1 in a riveting tie.

Left-back Biswajit Saha scored the winner at the dying minutes of the second half to seal the first points for his ailing side. Jackichand Singh had given Royal Wahingdoh a first-half lead only to see Sporting's Trinidad & Tobago's Anthony Wolfe nullify the lead at the start of the second period.

The win gives Sporting three important points and a whisker of a chance to make the last four. Royal Wahingdoh now are at the bottom of the group.

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It was the Royals who went ahead courtesy Singh, after he picked up a ball from forward Seityasen Singh in the box, with the game at the half and hour mark, rounding off the keeper before finishing it at the back-post.

Stung by the setback, Sporting pushed hard for an equaliser with India International Victorino Fernandes coming closest with his incisive run into the box but had no one to get on the end of his cutback.

The half closed with Wahingdoh leading by a goal but Sporting looked likely to peg back.

It took the local side just six minutes post breather to equalise.

After a flurry of Sporting corners, Wolfe sent a power-packed low drive from just outside the box that crept under keeper Nikhil Bernard after a Cajetan Fernandes corner was partially cleared.

Soon after, came Sporting's crowning moment. Saha sprinted some 40-yards from his own half to meet a low Mauvin Borges cross from the left, tapping in past Bernard at his near post.

In the group B encounter, Mohun Bagan started the match brightly with Cameroonian striker Pierre Boya giving the green-and-maroons lead early in the 28th minute.

They enjoyed possession in the midfield and created chances but lacked proper finishing. But Boya managed to rectify that, turning with a superb first touch and gently toe-poking the ball into the back of the net past an onrushing Salgaocar goalkeeper Subrata Pal.

Salgaocar equalised quickly. Midfielder Saran Singh forced his way after exchanging passes with Pierre and then managed to feed the latter who showed great composure and curled the ball into the net on 35 minutes.

Salgaocar threatened to take the lead just at the stroke of half-time but Scottish striker Darryl Duffy wasted a glorious opportunity, blasting his shot wide from close range.

After the breather, Salgaocar slowly stepped up the pressure and controlled the mid-field.

Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul saved his team from concedeing on several occasions, palming away a shot from Pierre.

But he couldn't keep out Kasonde's rebound shot at the 75th minute after blocking a Francis Fernandes header.

Piere then inflicted more misery on Mohun Bagan as he dribbled past two defender to score in the 90th minute.

Dias completed Mohun Bagan's humiliation a minute later, scoring from a shot from just outside the box, which trickled over the goal line after hitting the outstretched left hand of Paul.

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First Published: Jan 04 2015 | 11:04 PM IST

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