Zee Churchill dump East Bengal to enter final

Goa's Zee Churchill capitalised on defensive lapses to pull off a stunning 2-1 victory over Kolkata giants East Bengal in the second semi-final of the Durand Cup football tournament in Delhi on Thursday.

The win gave the Goa champions their maiden entry into the final, in the 114th edition of the tournament.

Churchill will meet Mumbai's Mahindra United in the title match on Saturday. Mahindra had beaten ITI, Bangalore, 3-0 in the first semi-final on Wednesday.

Nippy forward Ratan Singh scored both the goals for Churchill, who led 1-0 at half-time.

Chandan Das netted East Bengal's solitary goal, in the fourth minute of second-half.

The Goans put the East Bengal defence on the rack, particularly in the first-half, with better combination and skill. They surged ahead in the 13th minute with a superb goal. Their Iranian striker, Mousavi Syed Amin, who looked dangerous whenever he penetrated the rival defence, set up the goal. Trapping the ball a few yards outside the box, Amin sped through, went wide, and hoodwinked East Bengal defenders Anit Ghosh and Deepak Mondal with a superb body swerve before unleashing a shot from an acute angle. The ball rebounded after hitting the crosspiece and Ratan Singh headed home (1-0).

Down by the goal, East Bengal rallied strongly and equalised in the 49th minute through Chandan Das, who found the mark after connecting a Tushar Rakshit header, following a Bijen Singh floater into the box.

The Goans stepped up the pressure and were rewarded four minutes from time when Ratan Singh scored the match-winner off a Yusif Yakubu pass.

114th Durand Cup 2002 - the complete coverage
National Football League - the complete coverage