Goan flavour for Fed Cup semis as Salgaocar, Churchill advance

Reigning champions Salgaocar and Churchill Brothers booked semi-final berths by registering facile wins over their respective opponents in the 34th Federation Cup on Monday.

Salgaocar defeated Pune FC 2-1 at the JRD Sports Complex in Jamshedpur to set up a last-four clash against I-League champions Dempo.

At the Kanchanjungha Stadium in Siliguri, Churchill Brothers routed a 10-man Air India [ Images ] 4-0 to emerge group D toppers, making it three Goan teams in the last-four.

With star-studded Kolkata [ Images ] teams, Mohun Bagan and United SC coming a cropper, there is a chance of an all-Goan affair in the premier tournament.

Sporting Clube are in line for the fourth semifinalist spot as they lead group C with a better goal difference against last year's runners-up East Bengal, the only Kolkata team left in the fray.

In the group D match in Jamshedpur, the defending champions got a seventh minute lead when an unmarked Luciano Sabrosa powerfully headed the ball in from a corner kick.

But Churchill's joy was shortlived as a spirited Pune FC equalised in space of five minutes when Douhou Pierre fired in from a 20-yard shot that beat the goalkeeper Karanjit Singh.

Salgaocar, however, restored the lead when their in-form forward Anthony D'Souza found the winner in the 27th minute to earn their third successive victory for nine points en route to the semis.

In another inconsequential group D tie at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, Mohammad Rafique struck a brace (4th, 16th) to help United SC blank United Sikkim 2-0 and sign off with a solitary win.

Salgaocar will lock horns against Dempo in their semis in Siliguri on September 28.

Churchill would face either Sporting Clube de Goa [ Images ] or East Bengal in the first semi-final, also in Siliguri, on September 27.

The summit clash is on September 30.

In the Group B match in Siliguri, Churchill's goal flurry began with Henry Autchouet's strike in the 22nd minute from a solitary effort as they led 1-0 at the interval. Beto doubled the lead when he scored from a brilliant 18-yard freekick in the 64th minute.

There was more misery in store for the Air India when two minute later Micky Fernandes was red-carded for fouling Beto.

Akram Moghrabi (84th) and Bikramjit Singh (90th) completed the rout for the Goan heavyweights.