Former champions and strong title contenders, Air India, cruised to a comfortable 4-1 win over Rashtriya Chemicals and Fertilisers (RCF) in a Pool B match of the Dabang Mumbai 50th Bombay Gold Cup hockey tournament today.
Birendra Lakra, Sameer Dad, Vikram Pillay and Bishan Singh scored for Air India who went into the break with a slender 1-0 advantage.
RCF reduced the margin of defeat when Mayur Patil found the mark in the final minute.
Air India, with six points, topped the pool and along with second-placed CAG (Comptroller and Audit General), who had earlier defeated RCF 4-2, points advanced to the quarter-finals from this pool.
Later, Western Railway came up with a strong second half performance scoring seven goals to steamroll past Hockey Bhopal by a 8-1 margin in a crucial Pool C match. The teams were tied 1-1 at the end of the first half.
Amit Rohidas and Malak Singh both scored two goals each while Manjinder Singh, Chinlensana Singh, Jaikaran and Stanley Minz chipped in with one goal each to complete the rout.
Hockey Bhopal's goal scorer was Abhey Kumar in the first half.
Western and Indian Navy, who had shared honours in a 4-4 draw earlier, sailed into the quarter-finals.
