East Bengal registered their first win of the I-League after a sublime Willis Plaza finish in the 80th-minute winner sealed the deal for them. Earlier, the Bengal giants had taken the lead through a Wedson Anselme penalty, but Gouramangi Singh equalised for DSK Shivajians 20 minutes into the second half.
The Bengal giants dominated the match for large intervals but lacked precision in the final third time and again.
The Balewadi Stadium in Pune was the venue for this match, and Trevor James Morgan will be happy that his side got all three points on the road against a determined opposition. Dave Rogers had set up a tactically disciplined team, who were happy to defend deep and counter.
The win sees East Bengal climb to the fourth spot on the table with 4 points, just behind Bengaluru FC , Mohun Bagan and Mumbai FC who all have 6 points from 2 games. DSK remain rooted at the 9th position , having failed to garner a point from either of their matches.
Here are 5 things we learnt from the game:
#1 Wedson and Plaza can be a deadly combination
Wedson and Plaza won the game for the away side, and if this match was anything to go by, they will be deciding many more games this season. The Haitian did not make a mark in the first match against Aizawl FC, probably because he was unfit and had not trained with the squad enough.
However, yesterday he started off in the No. 10 position, and underlined his class, as he orchestrated almost every attack the Bengal side manufactured. He converted a penalty in the 13th minute after he was subjected to a rash challenge inside the box.
Plaza, who was brought on late in the last game, started this one and impressed one and all with his ball control and speed, and deservedly scored the winning goal. His movement behind the defence was a treat to watch, and there is a good chance that in them, East Bengal may finally have found the replacements for Penn Orji and Tolgay Ozbay.
#2 East Bengal’s defence looks settled
The East Bengal defence were torn to shreds by the likes of Jayesh Rane and Kamo in the first match, but yesterday they looked a lot more settled. Ivan Bukenya and Anwar Ali put on a solid show in the centre-back positions, while Narayan Das was excellent with both his defending and overlaps.
The only area where they are suspect is at right back, where Rahul Bheke put in a poor performance once again. Although there were lapses every now and then, overall it was a much better outing for the backline. With Arnab Mondal set to return soon, they can only get stronger from now on.
#3 Young guns fail to impress
The likes of Abhinas Ruidas and Nikhil Poojary are well-known in the Indian football circuit, but they are yet to prove their mettle. Yesterday, the former did not feature but the latter did and looked completely out of sorts in a midfield that seemed to be playing on a different level than him.
He did not help out his defence either and had to be substituted on the hour mark.
Robin Singh, who made his name while featuring for East Bengal back in 2010, had a horror show on his return as well, and did nothing of note other than score a goal which was ruled out due to a foul on Nirmal Chettri.
His laboured first touch and inaccurate passing broke down many counter attacks, and he will have to completely change his style if he wants to start ahead of the mercurial Plaza upfront.
#4 DSK need a striker up front
Dave Rogers needs to find a clinical striker up front if he wants to pursue his counter-attacking philosophy. The likes of Seong-Yong Kim and Jerry Mawihmingthanga were both presented with outstanding opportunities yesterday but failed to take their chances.
If they want to survive, the Maharashtrian side have to either find the right player or change their approach as soon as possible.
#5 East Bengal’s vocal support
The Balewadi stadium had more away fans than home, as an estimated 1500 East Bengal fans were in attendance. The Red and Gold brigade had turned the stadium into a festive atmosphere, throwing scented colours, beating drums and chanting names of their favourite players time and again. One hopes that this culture continues and spreads all over the nation, so that more and more fans get interested in Indian football.
P.S: The author would like to thank Mr. Samyadipta Paul, a hardcore East Bengal fanatic whose efforts helped him to catch the match online and whose inputs helped him to frame the article.
