Striking thrice in the second half, Tollygunge Agragami, Kolkata, blanked Fransa Football Club, Goa, 3-0 to storm into the semi-finals of the 26th Federation Cup football championship at the Sri Kanteerava Stadium at Bangalore on Sunday.
After a goalless first half, Gouranga Dutta opened the account in the 51st minute, while defender Tarif Ahammad increased the lead 14 minutes later before Surajit Bose consolidated the team's position, scoring the third goal in the 82nd minute.
In a late surge, Tollygunge struck the first goal through Dutta in a goal mouth scramble.
Ahammad missed his shot and it rebounded from the hands of Fransa custodian Kalyan Chaubey. An alert Gouranga Dutta, who was waiting near the goal mouth, got possession of the ball and slammed it into the net.
Dominating the proceedings in the second session, Tollygunge increased the lead in the 65th minute when Ahammad succeeded in netting the ball off a cross from Akeem Abalonlee and then Bose came up with the third goal.
Fransa, which demolished last year title holders Mahindra United in the pre-quarters, opened their quarter-finals campaign on a promising note, dominating the proceedings in the first half.
Fransa miffed a golden opportunity in the 25th minute when defender Jules Claudio Dias Alberto, failed to score through a free kick awarded to the team near the goal mouth.
Tollygunge's Dinesh Swar, who got a yellow card warning, obstructed menacingly Fransa's Saikhom Singh near the goal mouth and referee P Bhaskar awarded the free kick.
But, Jules Claudio Dias Alberto, who took the shot, sent it over the bar.
Naushad Pari made a good effort in the 32nd minute for Fransa, but Tollygunge's keeper Arindam Ghosh effected a save.
Fransa were unlucky in the 81st minute. Savio Mascarenhas shot into the net but the ball, which hit the upper bar and was about to slide into the net, was splendidly restricted by Tollygunge's custodian Ghosh.
Tollygunge could have added one more goal to its tally in the 63rd minute, but Akeem Abalonlee squandered the chance.
With Tollygunge's forwards taking the ball towards the Fransa goal mouth, its keeper Kalyan Chaubey rushed out but failed in his attempt to collect the ball. Abalonlee, who surged ahead, taking advantage of the situation, took a shot, but the ball sailed over the bar.
Dempo, Goa will clash with statemates Churchill Brothers in another quarter-final on Monday.
