Bagan to meet East Bengal in semis

Propelled by Jose Ramirez Barreto's brace, Federation Cup champions Mohun Bagan prevailed over Tollygunge Aggragami 2-1 to set up a semi-final clash with arch rivals East Bengal in the IFA Shield football tournament in Calcutta on Thursday.

The 2-1 scoreline, however, does not reflect the complete domination of the winners, who could have won by a much bigger margin but for the woodwork and brilliance of Tollygunge custodian Sandip Nandy.

Brazilian striker Barreto, the centre piece of every Bagan move, put his team ahead in the 42nd minute. Though Akeem Aboloni struck the equaliser in the 53rd minute, Tollygunge's joy was shortlived as Barreto scored the winner only three minutes later.

The match witnessed frayed tempers towards the close and Bagan were reduced to ten men for the last 11 minutes, when their Nigerian striker Abdullateef Seriki was sent out after he received a second booking of the match in the 79th minute.

He had to leave the field for hitting Akeem. Referee P Bhaskar earlier showed him the yellow card for handling the ball in the initial stages of the second half.

The soggy unplayable ground of Salt Lake stadium was the real villain of the day with the ball repeatedly slowing down or getting stuck in the mud.

The Mohun Bagan-East Bengal semi-final will be played on October 6.

Wednesday's report:
Palmeiras romp into IFA Shield semis