East Bengal organised a special interaction with footballers from Special Olympics Goa on the eve of the International Day for Persons with Disabilities. The club celebrated the spirit of unity in football and the remarkable achievements of the differently-abled footballers who have earned multiple national and international laurels at Don Bosco Oratory ground, Fatorda Panaji: It is no coincidence that three of the four teams that made it to the semifinals of the Super Cup have been training the longest.Defending champions FC Goa have been the busiest since starting pre-season training in July. It was largely out of compulsion rather than choice since the club had engagements in the AFC Champions League Two, Asian football’s second-tier club competition. East Bengal and Punjab FC too started training early, while Mumbai City FC are the odd ones who kickstarted preparations with only the Super Cup to play for.“We have already completed eight official games this season since July, so we can count ourselves among the fortunate ones,” said East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon, ahead of his team’s semifinal clash against Punjab FC at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Thursday. “We have been progressing, getting mature for the last three, four months. I feel very happy with our preparation, and I really feel that the problem is not for us. The problem is for all those teams that have stopped operations, those yet to start training.”The Super Cup resumes after a month-long break during which teams like Mumbai City stopped training, while players at Punjab continued to train, despite being told that they can go home for a break.Once the tournament concludes on Sunday, nobody really knows when the players will be back on the field for their next competitive fixture.“We are in a very difficult situation but glad that we are playing the semifinals,” said Mumbai midfielder Brandon Fernandes, whose side is up against defending champions FC Goa in the second match of the day. “The other teams are not even training. We have this opportunity to play and we want to make the best out of this. We want to play the next two games for sure, but first the semis.”The Super Cup final has been scheduled for Sunday, with the winners being rewarded with a spot in next season’s Asian competition.Given their form and the availability of six foreign players, defending champions Goa will fancy their chances in the semifinal against Mumbai, though coach Manolo Marquez is taking nothing for granted.“We are facing one of the biggest teams in the ISL with four very good foreigners,” said Manolo. “Lot of Mumbai players are in the national team, but obviously, we have a good team as well. This will be an equal game. Our target is to make it to the final and then let’s see what happens.”SEMIFINAL LINEUPEast Bengal vs Punjab FC, 4pmFC Goa vs Mumbai City, 8pm
