Sporting Club de Goa came from behind to carve out a 4-3 win over eight time champions East Bengal in a nail-biting match Tuesday to enter the semi-finals by knocking out the Kolkata giants from the Federation Cup.
The day's other group game saw Mohun Bagan get past Shillong Lajong 1-0 to finish their Cup campaign with a consolation win after bowing out of the reckoning for the semi-final stage of the competition.
Defender Kingshuk Debnath scored a 74-minute winner for Mohun Bagan in the Group B encounter at the Tilak Maidan in Vasco.
Mohun Bagan were awarded a penalty in the 26th minute but Jeje muffled up the chance as goal keeper Vishal Kaith brought up a good save.
In the 74th minute, Mohun Bagan were awarded a free kick and defender Bello Rasaq's shot from a Norde centre, was partially saved by Kaith. The rebound came to Debnath who made no mistake.
The Group A contest in Margao's JL Nehru stadium witnessed a goal feast.
Sporting's Victorino Fernandes fired a hattrick while their Trinidad and Tobago striker Anthony Wolfe found the target once. Ranty Martins (penalty), Dudu Omagbemi, and Shylo Malsawmtulunga scored for the losers.
The Goans were down 1-3, but rallied back to earn full points and march into the pre-summit round.
Three goals in the space of 25 minutes in the second half saw the cliffhanger being turned upside down, as Sporting came on top to enter the semis at the expense of the team from Kolkata.
Courtesy the hattrick, Fernandez is now the highest scorer in the competition with five goals to his name from four matches.
Sporting surged into the lead with Fernandez curling the ball into the net from a pass from Nigerian midfielder Kalu Ogba.
East Bengal were quick to respond as they earned a penalty when Sporting's Nigerian stopper-back Kofi Dankwae pulled Mohammed Rafique down inside the area. Another Nigerian, Ranti Martins stepped up and foxed Sporting goalkeeper Ravi Kumar to find the back of the net.
There was high drama again at the half-hour mark when Dudu gave the red and golds the lead for the first time in the match. Shylo Malsawmtluanga's ball was not cleared from the box by the defenders as Dudu found the ball in such commotion and finished past the keeper.
Five minutes later, East Bengal added one more as Martin's through ball found Dudu who squared the ball for Malsawmtluanga, and the medio did the needful by tapping it into the net.
Just when the eight-time Fed Cup champions looked to be going into the break with a two goal cushion, Sporting reminded them the game was far from over.
Rowlin Borges lobbed the East Bengal defense to find Wolfe in the clear. The Trinidad & Tobago striker ran some yards to meet the cross, beating keeper Subhashish with a timely header that nestled into the back post.
At halftime the score read 3-2.
After the breather, substitute Velito Cruz's corner was first met by Kofi Dankwae whose header was saved by an alert Subhashish but only as far as Fernandez who tapped in the rebound to equalise.
Sporting then scored the winner as Fernandez took down a Mauvin Borges measured through ball to place it perfectly into the back of the net and break into a mad jig.
