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D'Cunha is East Bengal's hero

KOLKATA DEC. 8. Alvito D'Cunha's magic motivated Kingfisher East Bengal to bring about a late charge to upstage archrival Mohun Bagan 2-0 in a National Football League match here at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday.

The win helped East Bengal make it to the top of the table with 12 points with four consecutive wins at home, while Mohun Bagan lost its first match to tally six points from five matches. D'Cunha, playing the central role, was truly outstanding with his shooting abilities for East Bengal, which met a determined Mohun Bagan in a traditional contest for supremacy.

The Goan striker was introduced late, almost at the end of the first session, and this swung the pendulum in favour of the Calcutta Football League champion in the second session, as D'Cunha provided for the first (71st minute) and scored the second (89th minute) clinching the tie.

The effort earned him the `ONGC man-of-the-match,' the first to get such an honour in the tournament.

The clash of the two local giants had defending champion Mohun Bagan enjoying most of the exchanges in the first session. The combination of Bhaichung Bhutia and Brazilian Jose Barreto in the Mohun Bagan attack did open up the East Bengal defence occasionally but none of those opportunities could find the mark as poor finishing continued to bother the team.

The change of ends shifted the focus as East Bengal wrested the initiative with D'Cunha marshalling the attack. Replacing an off-colour Kalia Kulothungan, D'Cunha played more as the attacking-third operating from deep.

The first goal resulted from a set-piece situation as another East Bengal substitute, Subhasish Roy Chowdhury managed to divert home a low corner by D'Cunha in the 71st minute. D'Cunha finished off with a rasping volley off a cross from Shanmugam Venkatesh, almost at the last minute of the regulation time.

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