Dempo lifts Federation Cup

Bangalore:

Brazilian striker Cristiano Junior scored a brace as Dempo outplayed Mohun Bagan 2-0 to lift the 26th Federation Cup Football Championship at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium today. The mercurial Junior reigned supreme as the Kolkata team were hard pressed to contain the dazzling striker, who scored a goal in each half to take the Goan club to their first Federation Cup title. Junior headed in off a Riston Rodrigues pass in the 42nd minute and came up with his second goal in the 78th minute, latching on to a Jose Colaco shot, as the rival defence stood exposed. The Armando Colaco-coached Goan outfit thus avenged their defeat at the hands of the same opponent two seasons ago at Chennai, when they had lost by a similar margin. The Federation Cup was the one championship that had eluded Dempo. Bagan, the famous Kolkata club, has won the Cup as many as 11 times. But the day belonged to Dempo, who had excelled throughout the tournament beating Everready, Churchill Brothers and Tollygunge Agragami on their way to the title round. Previously, Bagan, who have an imposing record in the Federation Cup, had lost only three of the 14 finals. (PTI)