It was East Bengal who came out on top as they faced the high-flying Bengaluru FC at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata today.
The home side won the game 2-1, thanks to goals from Wedson Anselme and Robin Singh. It was the defending champions who took the lead through an effervescent CK Vineeth, but they were pegged back in the second half and the Bengal giants took home all three points.
The win sees them in the 2nd position on the table, on 10 points, just two behind eternal rivals Mohun Bagan. Bengaluru, on the other hand, have 9 points from 4 games and are third on the table.
They lost to the Bengal giants for the first time in two years, and despite winning their first three games, looked unsettled for almost the entire 90 minutes. Albert Roca and his men presented numerous opportunities to the home side, and were lucky just to concede two, thanks, in part, to some wasteful finishing and Amrinder Singh’s heroics under the bar.
Here are the five things we learnt from the top-of-the-table clash:
#1 Bengaluru FC look defensively weak against the counter
Bengaluru FC may have one of the best squads in the country, and may have garnered all 9 points prior to this, but they can be caught out by teams that are willing to work hard. The home side played counter attacking football today, and Willis Plaza and Nikhil Poojary repeatedly caught the opposition’s defence out.
Juan Antonio Gomes was especially susceptible to East Bengal’s pace, and Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen must have taken notes. The Red and Gold brigade were outrageously poor with their finishing today, but the likes of Darryl Duffy and Sony Norde will be salivating at the prospect of facing such a tardy backline.
#2 Ivan Bukenya underlines his class once again
In the last game against Churchill Brothers, Bukenya was suspect with his slow movement. However, he was immense today, effectively keeping both CK Vineeth and Sunil Chettri in his pockets.
The Ugandan used his physical presence and experience to disrupt Bengaluru FC’s free-flowing football, and did not make a single mistake barring the time he under hit a back pass to TP Rehenesh. Deservedly, he was awarded the Hero of the Match award and the East Bengal faithful will be hoping to see more of the same from him.
#3 East Bengal must be more clinical up front
The scoreline may read 2-1, but nothing could be more misleading. East Bengal created numerous chances, especially in the second half but failed to convert them. Willis Plaza and Ildar Amirov were shockingly bad today, with the former missing at least half a dozen chances and the latter remaining anonymous for the entire first half.
It was only when Robin Singh was brought on after the break that the Bengal giants found some life in their attacking third, and he not only scored the winner but also hit the crossbar with a thundering shot.
Trevor James Morgan must start with the former Bengaluru forward from the next game, while Amirov and Plaza have much to work on to present stronger cases for themselves.
#4 Possession football won’t help Bengaluru
The South Indian side enjoyed the majority of possession in the first half, and even went ahead thanks to a blunder from Rahul Bheke. They started the second half brightly as well, but failed to do anything of note with the ball at their feet.
They were torn apart by East Bengal time and again, yet Albert Roca insisted on not changing their shape or asking his boys to go more direct. Lyngdoh, Watson, Udanta Singh are all excellent players while in possession, but they were neutralised by a side that defended tactically and hit them on the break.
Sunil Chettri’s poor form did not help them either, but it is important for the Jindal-owned side to develop a Plan B and a Plan C if they want to defend their I-League title.
#5 Priceless win for East Bengal
The Calcutta club went into the game as the underdogs, but they came out all guns blazing. Almost all the players on the pitch performed out of their skin, but special credit must go to the veteran Mehtab Hossein, the oft-criticized Poojary and the ever-present Narayan Das.
As a result, they got the result in their favour which will act as a huge morale boost for Morgan and his men. The crowd, who had come in thousands to cheer for their team, chanted their heroes’ names in unison and lit lanterns to signify their never-ending love for the crest, after the game.
