Mahindra United enter Durand Cup semis

NEW DELHI: Perhaps the tongue lashing from Emeka Euzego did the trick, for 10-man Churchill Brothers dished out a much better performance but were unfortunate to draw 1-1 against Mahindra United in the last of the quarter-final group league matches at the Ambedkar Stadium on Tuesday.
Reisangmi Vashum's eighth minute left-footer kept goalkeeper Amit Nandi of Mahindra United rooted to the ground and sneaked in at the first post.
Despite the draw, Churchill Brothers topped Group A with seven points while Mahindra United followed them to the semi-finals with five. The Goan team will meet Sporting Clube de Goa in the last four stage on Friday while Mahindra United will face JCT on Thursday.
Churchill Brothers could consider themselves unlucky as they were done in by referee Pratap Singh. They were down to 10 men after Gourmangi Singh was shown the red card within 27 minutes into the game.
Mahindra United striker Sushil Singh attempted a header and Gourmangi's right foot accidentally hit him on the face. "It was a shocking decision," said the Churchill Brothers coach Emeka.
The manpower shortage though hardly affected Churchill Brothers' rhythm and they could have had their second, had not the referee chose to take centre stage once again.
Vashum sped down the right and was brought down by Harpreet Singh inside the box in the 39th minute, but the Services referee chose to turn a blind eye.
They did get a penalty after Okolie Odafa was body checked by Justine Stephen, but the Churchill Brothers skipper's shot from the spot crashed on to the woodwork in the 65th minute.
Mahindra United qualified for the semi-finals after Mumbai FC went down to Army XI 0-1 in the group's other match.
It was a good ploy by coach Derrick Pereira (Mahindra United) to test the reserves before the I-League. But they still have to go some distance before they are ready for the big league.
That allowed Churchill Brothers to apply the pressure. Vashum and Khantang Paite's pace asked a lot of questions at the back and had Odafa been a bit more effective, releasing the ball early rather than trying to do things on his own, the Goan team could have won by a healthier margin.
Odafa, as in the last match, was shunted out of the game with some tight marking. He was closed down every time he got the ball and denied space.