Nigerian striker Earnest Jeremiah's hat-trick powered East Bengal to a 4-0 win over Sporting Clube de Goa and into the semi-finals of the 117th Durand Cup football tournament in New Delhi on Saturday.
The National Football League champions will now take on JCT Mills, Phagwara, who drew 1-1 with Dempo Sports Club, Goa. The Punjab team needed just a draw to top Group D and make the last four as they had a better goal difference.
JCT are making the semi-finals for the first time after 1999 when they lost to East Bengal. The five-time champions last won the prestigious trophy in 1996 beating Iraq's Oil Club.
East Bengal, who beat Army XI 3-1 in their first match, required just a draw to progress but ended up convincing winners with Jeremiah, on loan from Ever Ready club, making all the difference as he found the net in the 38th, 42nd and 76th minute.
Captain Chandan Das scored the team's third goal in the 66th minute.
But contrary to the heavy margin of defeat, Sporting were no pushovers and went down fighting till the very end.
East Bengal took the lead against the run of play after Sporting's Nigerian recruit Dudu Omagbemi was denied a few times by goalkeeper Rajat Ghosh Dastidar.
In the other match, Dempo woke up a bit too late against JCT who defended their one goal lead admirably.
JCT took the lead in the 10th minute when striker Harvinder Singh headed in a cross from the left.
The Goan club equalised only in the 89th minute when Raju Singh's corner kick was headed in by Majeck Bolaji.
