Attacking Churchill book spot in title clash

Three of Churchills goals came from set pieces,with Steven Dias being the force behind two. Churchill now take on defending champions Prayag United in the final.

Despite being a man down for a much of the game,Churchill Brothers outlasted Shillong Lajong FC 4-1 in the semi-finals of the Durand Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium on Thursday,relying on free kicks to counter their numerical disadvantage.

Three of Churchills goals came from set pieces,with Steven Dias being the force behind two. Churchill now take on defending champions Prayag United in the final.

Despite Henry Arnaud being red-carded in the 55th minute for a needless scuffle to get the ball,Lajong were unable to capitalise. And while the scoreline does not suggest it,Lajong enjoyed many periods of dominance but were unable to convert them into goals. In fact,Lajong nearly took lead as early as the sixth minute but a P Lalhlimthara volley screamed just wide of the bar. Having withstood those early attacks,Churchill slowly began to press forward. In the 25th minute they were awarded the first of their several free kicks at the edge of the box. and Steven Diass shot deflected off a Lajong defender,leaving goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte frozen as the ball kissed the back of net.

If the first goal was sheer luck,the one three minutes later was a perfect example of team co-ordination and brilliance. Churchill skipper Roberto Silva ran along the left flank on a counter and sent a rolling cross to an unguarded Arnaud,who only had to tap the ball in and double the lead.

Down but not out,Lajong kept up the pressure. Their livewire striker John Menyongar finally got the much-needed goal through a header in the 43rd minute off Eugeneson Lyngdohs perfectly angled corner strike to go into the break with renewed confidence,and that was evident in the way they srated off post-break.

Lajong almost found the equaliser immediately on resumption but C Lallawmzualas shot whistled over the crossbar by inches. However,Lajongs continued aggression left too much space open for their opponents to counterattack. In the 48th minute,Silva was fouled just outside the box on the left with the referee awarding Churchill a second free kick. A deflection off a Lajong defender saw Steven Diass swinging aerial shot being headed into the far corner by Bineesh Balan.

With their two-goal buffer restored,Churchill only had to play out time while Lajong had to score fast. Their desperation further opened up counterattacks even by a weakened Churchill while Lajong could find no way to fight back into the match. The Goan side rounded up the tally in the 76th minute through yet another free kick. The final nail in the coffin came through Zakeer Mundamparas swirling effort which was tapped in by Churchill skipper Roberto Silva.