East Bengal stormed into the Durand Cup semifinals riding substitute Bidyashagar Singh’s brace to bounce back from behind and post a 2-1 victory against Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Wednesday.
With the win, East Bengal topped the group with nine points from three matches. They will face toppers from group D where Gokulam Kerala lead the table after their 3-0 win against Indian Airforce at the Sailen Manna Stadium in Howrah.
In the third match of the day, FC Goa developmental side recorded their second win in as many games, overcoming defending I-League champions Chennai City 2-1 at the Kalyani Stadium.
Two first half goals from Liston Colaco and Nestor Dias were enough for Clifford Miranda’s boys to secure all three points as they knocked Chennai City out of the tournament with this result.
Bengaluru reserves took the lead against East Bengal with Ajay Chhetri scoring for them in the 17th minute.
In the second half, East Bengal came back when Bidyashagar was brought in as a substitute for Boithang Haokip in the 46th minute.
Bidyashagar netted the equaliser in the 59th minute and scored another in the 74th minute, thus saving the day for his team.
Gokulam’s Trinidad and Tobago playmaker Marcus Joseph also struck a double (43rd, 87th) while Shibil Muhammed scored in the 56th minute to script a 3-0 triumph over Indian Airforce at the Sailen Manna Stadium in Howrah.