Manipur, Bengal in women's soccer final

HYDERABAD: A semifinal clash is all about temperament, Syed Nayeemuddin had predicted prior to the Bengal-Tamil Nadu clash at the National Games. “Bengal are more used to such situations, they’ll pull it through,� he said sitting on the balcony of the Fateh Maidan club.
He was right. Substitute Supratik Aind made the difference between the two teams scoring in the 75th minute to take Bengal to the National Games final for the first time since 1985. Kaptan-saab kahan hai, Nayeem was seen querying about old disciple Bengal skipper Dipendu Biswas at the end of the match.He didn’t know, Dipendu, by then had gone to cheer the Bengal paddlers.
In the second match Punjab beat Services 4-0. Gurinderpal Singh and Surjit Singh scored a brace each.
The two rival coaches echoed striking comments. Even as Tamil Nadu coach Mohammed Amzad accused of biased refereeing, evergreen Mohammed Habib, the Bengal coach sounded displeasure at the end. “The referees are deciding the fate of matches,� Amzad maintained. “The linesman ignored the off-side,� he said, refereeing to Bengal’s winner. The TV replays suggested that Aind was onside prior to scoring. The talented India U-20 striker Bengal’s Rahim Nabi looked dangerous. His centre set the goal for Bengal as Dipendu headed it down to an Pradip Indu. Supratik, standing next scored after Indu’s effort was blocked.
Bengal eves in final: Bengal came back from behind to score a fluent 3-1 victory over Orissa in the semis. Down by a Pinky Bompal goal at the interval, Rinku Ghosh scored a brace while Shanta Dhara netted the other. Bengal will meet Manipur in final. Manipur thumped hosts Andhra Pradesh 4-0.