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East Bengal routed Singapore’s Balestier Khalsa 3-0 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata to move up to third position in the group table. Baldeep Singh Jr. scored the first goal of the game in the 22nd minute. The tally got doubled in the 71st minute from an own goal by Nurullah Hussain. Ranti Martins hammered the final nail in the coffin in the 75th minute.
Eelco Schattorie opted to field a second string East Bengal side in today’s game to test his bench strength. Neither of the four foreigners featured in the starting line-up. Baldeep got his first start of the season alongside Baljeet Sahni up front.
The Indian side looked dominant from the very first minute. They were attacking in numbers and maintained the lion’s share of possession. For the majority of the first half, the home side’s possession marked somewhere around 72-75%. This surely reflects the red and gold brigade’s domination on the pitch.
The first goal was scored from Baldeep’s header in the 22nd minute. Shylo Malsawmtluanga, fondly known as Mama, floated a curling corner inside the penalty box. The young Indian forward made no mistake to convert an easy header into a goal. This was his maiden goal for the club this season.
East Bengal were all over their opponents in the entire half and did not let the team from Singapore get anywhere near their goal.
Things did not get better for the away side in the second half as Bengal was all over them again. In the beginning of the second half, Baljit played a wonderful forward pass towards Baldeep, who was one on one with the keeper. A second goal was surely on the cards, but somehow Baldeep managed to miss, when it looked like it was easier to score.
Dudu Omagbemi was brought on by Schattorie to consolidate the lead. A few minutes later, his compatriot Ranti Martins entered the field to strengthen the attack force. Eelco's substitutions did wonders as the second goal came just after Ranti’s arrival. Mama played a brilliant pass to Ranti, who in return gave the ball to Baldeep. The Indian striker attempted a cross, but before any East Bengal players could get to the ball, Balestier Khalsa defender, Nurullah, scored an own goal while trying to clear the ball.
5 minutes later, substitute Ranti Martins scored for East Bengal. Baldeep took advantage of Emir Lotinac’s poor defending and passed the ball to the Nigerian. An opportunistic Ranti received the ball and calmly found the back of the net.
East Bengal still has hopes of making it to the next stage. They will have to win their next game against group toppers Johor Darul T’Zim to stand a chance.
