Venkatesh lives upto The Italian adage

Mahindra topped Group A with seven points followed by Mohun Bagan, who too advanced to the last four stage with a convincing 3-0 win over Tata Football Academy (TFA). Brazilian striker Jose Barreto scored a brace while compatriot Joao Dos Santos was the other scorer.

Now the `oranjes’ have set up a mouthwatering semi-final clash with East Bengal on Wednesday, while Bagan take on the mighty Churchill Brothers in the second semifinal on Thursday.

No doubt, Shabbir Ali was a delighted man after the match. But he must have felt aggrieved seeing his former team, Salgaocar, crash out without a fight. Lack of firepower in the upfront was their real drawback they just managed to score once in three outings here. This was, indeed, pitiable sight of a team that held centrestage in Indian football in the last couple of years, apart from being the holders.

In fact, the team management must pull up its socks in time to strenghthen the attack if the team has to perform better in the National Football League. Mahindra, on the other hand, are clearly emerging as one of the best teams in the country. With a solid bench strength and under Shabbir, the Mumbai League champions have turned out to be the most consistent sides of the tournament. Needing a victory to confirm their semi-final entry, Mahindra played to a plan: Scored the goal five minutes after kick-off, defended well and then went ahead with their counter-attacks. The Mumbai team could have added a few more, but some slapdash finishing inside the box did them in.

Venkatesh’s goal was the culmination of an impressive work done by overlapping Anthony Fernandes. The lanky left-back sped down the left channel to send over a peach of a cross which Abhay Kumar trapped for Venkatesh to finish. He executed a powerful right-footer from top of the box that brooked no challenge. BAGAN ENTER SEMIS: In the first match of the day, former champions Mohun Bagan capitalised on the inexperience of TFA to pump in three goals past the Jamshedpur-based outfit.

Barreto, playing as an attacking medio on Monday, opened the scoring in the 16th minute with a sharp header. Six minutes later compatriot Santos consolidated after playing one-two with RC Prakash. Barreto rounded off the tally in the 41st minute after Basudeb Mondal set him through.

Semi-final line-up: November 8: East Bengal vs Mahindra United; November 9: Mohun Bagan vs Churchill Brothers.