Second-half blitz powers E Bengal into final

NEW DELHI, DEC 1: East Bengal could not play their planned' game in the first half which ended barren. However, the second half was a di...

NEW DELHI, DEC 1: East Bengal could not play their planned8217; game in the first half which ended barren. However, the second half was a different matter. Their opponents Jagatjit Cotton Textile Mills JCT, high on confidence after maintaining status quo for 45 minutes, were completely overwhelmed by the storm that surrounded them in the 15 minutes after the breather.

East Bengal hero was veteran midfielder Tushar Rakshit 8212; the man who had scored the last time they had met at the Ambedkar Stadium four years ago. Though Rakshit did not score this time, he was nevertheless the crucial link in each of the three goals that East Bengal pumped in between the 46th and the 60th minutes which saw them enter their 23rd Allwyn Durand Cup final.

JCT did score a consolation after the storm subsided, but that will be remembered as East Bengal goalkeeper Gopal Das8217; error rather than Hardeep Gill8217;s effort. JCT, the best of the three Punjab sides that East Bengal beat in their last three matches, were thoroughly outplayed. They can draw solace from the fact that they forced the Calcutta side to bring out their best.

The best was nowhere in sight in the first half when East Bengal just failed to get their act together. Their plan of playing with short passes and evading a direct confrontation with JCT did not materialise. Rakshit committed a number of errors with wrong passes. Even Carlton Chapman was much slower and could not quite find his way through the JCT maze. The passes were misdirected and the players tried to get past JCT as if they did not exist. The Phagwara side, of course, did not accept that and the game was mainly played in the midfield.

Dupankar Roy, however, put in his entire effort from the begining and was first to score in the 46th minute. Rakshit came up with one of his piercing passes to put Roy through just left of the JCT goal inside the box. Roy advanced a yard before placing to the left of goalkeeper Baljit Singh.

Rakshit was once again in the thick when he crossed for Raman Vijayan from near the left flag post. Vijayan, inexplicably left unmarked, just had to tap in for Strike Two.

Strike Three was very similar with Vijayan scoring off a Kennedy cross from left this tme. Kennedy was put in the clear by Rakshit in the 60th minute. Rakshit relaxed after setting up the goals and wanted out. However, coach Subhash Bhowmik took time before sending Sanatan Singh.