East Bengal beat arch rival Mohun Bagan, barges into Kalinga Super Cup semis

BHUBANESWAR: Double strike by Cleiton Silva powered East Bengal to dominate the last Group A league match and beat arch rival Mohun Bagan SG 3-1 to confirm their semifinal qualification in the Kalinga Super Cup at Kalinga Stadium on Friday.

Both the teams entered the ground without their key Indian players, who are currently representing the national team at the ongoing AFC Asian Cup. No drop in intensity when both powerhouse teams from Kolkata are on the ground. In the last five encounters, Mohun Bagan SG had registered wins against East Bengal.But today, East Bengal kept their cool to add three more points to become group topper with nine points.

Mohun Bagan almost opened their account in the second minute of the play when Armando scored but the lineman flagged offside. They eventually ticked the score when Hector Yusta hit the nets in the 18th minute.However, it only took a few minutes for the East Bengal to level the scoreboard in the 24th minute with a goal by Cleiton Silva.

After the change of sides, East Bengal changed their gear and Nandha Kumar doubled the lead in the 63rd minute. The move was initiated by Borja Herrera, whose powerful kick hit the top of the bar. The rebound landed in front of Nandha Kumar who made no mistake to double the score.

Finally in the 80th minute, Cleiton scored his second goal of the match and guided East Bengal to script a 3-1 victory.