East Bengal didn’t have the start they had hoped for as they kicked off their I-League campaign with a nervy 1-1 draw against north-eastern side Aizawl FC. They looked out-paced, out-witted and were second best to their opponent in almost every department.
Although some atrocious refereeing occasionally helped both the teams in their cause, it was a prominent high boot from Aizawl’s Ralte that smacked right at Mehtab’s face and not given a penalty, which will be taken home with disgust by East Bengal fans.
Trevor Morgan saw his defence getting split effortlessly every time Aizawl forwards moved on the counter and it wasn’t until Aizawl manager Khalid Jamil decided to defend their slim lead, that East Bengal looked effectively incisive in the attacking third. The red and gold brigade now sit third in the league table hoping that their archrival, Mohun Bagan, drop points against Churchill Brothers.
East Bengal
Rehenesh TP – 7/10
On an evening, when the central defenders had absolutely no answer for almost every threat posed by Aizawl forwards, the 23-year-old goalie stood like a rock under the bar. Some pretty decisive saves in the second half kept East Bengal’s flickering hopes of a comeback until the last minute. Aizawl rained in attacks and on most occasions, getting a shot at the goal.
Narayan Das – 6/10
Das was quite erratic in his deliveries from the flanks throughout the game and was lacklustre in defense as well. However, he still looked the most composed among the back four and did his job well at times. It wasn’t until Plaza was introduced, which brought some real flair in the attacking third, that saw Das floating in few delightful crosses.
Gurwinder Singh – 4/10
His frivolous own goal pretty much summed up his game. On a night when East Bengal were without Arnab Mondal, it was the perfect opportunity for Singh to prove his mettle at the back. But, he was far from perfect as he helped Aizawl to take the lead from literally nothing and was consequently subbed off in the 67th minute.
Anwar – 6.5/10
With his partner at the heart of the defence squandering chances, the Mumbai City enforcer looked much more composed and alert as he intercepted and made vital tackles. He was one of the few East Bengal players, who looked physically dominating in his role.
Rahul Bheke – 6/10
One word to describe Bheke’s display would be consistency. Although he failed to make any big impact on the game, his work rate was commendable. And it almost brought a result when a mouth-watering cross by him just missed Rafique early in the first half.
Rowllin Borges – 7/10
Borges was one of the most threatening players against Aizawl. He called passes from deep midfield time and again and was the link between defence and attack. His brilliant link-up play with Mehtab and Rafique in the second half unlocked Aizawl’s defence easily. It was his header that fell on Bukenya’s path to put in at the last minute.
Mehtab Hossain – 7/10
Easily one of the best players for East Bengal, Mehtab stood like a rock in the middle of the park. His set pieces were delicious at times and his commitment saw him fouled quite often.
Jackichand Singh – 5/10
Jackichand dribbled past his markers way too easily at times but it was the lack of deliveries from the back, which didn’t help him. He was taken off early in the second half for Plaza.
Mohammed Rafique – 6/10
For a player of his stature, he wasted quite a few chances. Nevertheless, he tried to create something from nothing and was very difficult to mark thanks to his sudden burst of pace.
Nikhil Poojari – 4.5/10
Poojari lost the ball quite often, and despite finding himself in acres of open space, he let the opponents close him down with ease. He made some quick dribbles on the flank, but they did not make any difference.
Wedson Anselme – 6.5/10
He was left alone up front at times, which forced him to fall back and help his team on the counter. Showed tremendous strength occasionally to hold off defenders and feed the ball to the wingers, who were not near perfect to make anything out of it.
Substitutes
Ivan Bukenya – 8/10
Bukenya came on in the second half for the faltering Gurwinder to stabilise the backline. Although he ended up being the hero, he could easily have been the villain as a deflected ball almost found its way into the back of the net after striking him.
Abhinash Ruidas – 6/10
Except for the corner that led to the goal, he was very poor from his deliveries and didn’t help the team, who were desperate for a quick equaliser.
Willis Plaza – 8.5/10
The only positive that East Bengal fans could take away from the match was Plaza’s vibrant performance. He looked unstoppable up front and almost got a wonder goal when the Aizawl goalie had to make an astonishing save to keep his thunderous strike out. He will be the one to watch out in the next game.
Aizawl FC
Albino Gomes – 7/10
He was consistent in collecting the ball from the ineffective crosses East Bengal rained in throughout the game. With his two centre-backs close to perfect in their strides and some poor finishing from East Bengal, Albino was hardly forced to make any saves as such.
Lalruatthara – 5/10
His lack of pace and poor defending left acres of space behind him for wingers to exploit, which often led Aizawl to deal with unnecessary crosses. It would definitely be a matter of concern for the manager who is still looking to find a perfect eleven to start with.
Eze Kingsley – 6/10
His disciplined defending for the most part of the game kept East Bengal from creating any major threats. It was until the introduction of Plaza that he was seen in some discomfort. His lost most of his duels with the towering forward and resorted to fouls. Other than that, he looked quite solid from the set pieces.
Zohmiingliana Ralte – 5/10
He was really fortunate not to concede a foul and get red-carded for his atrocious high boot in the box. A penalty and red card would have helped East Bengal get into the game early and they might have even found a winner. He looked quite solid otherwise and completely shut out East Bengal forwards at times.
Lalrinzuala Khiangte – 5.5/10
Like most of the other back four, Zuala showcased disciplined defending. Narayan Das tried to go past him from the left, but he was up to the task every time.
Lalmuankima – 6.5/10
Lalmuankima’s persistence to have a go at the East Bengal defence at every opportunity looked really threatening for the red and gold brigade. It was his perfectly weighted cross from the corner in the second half, which was met perfectly by Jaryan, only to hit the bar.
Alfred Jaryan – 5.5/10
Jaryan was really unlucky to hit the goalpost early in the second half. His pacey runs down the flank helped Kamo get the ball into dangerous positions. Although, it didn’t amount to much, they really exposed East Bengal’s frail backline. Other teams are surely taking note of it.
H. Lalbiakthanga – 4.5/10
He hardly could make any real impact on the game and contributed mainly to the defence. Although he harried a few East Bengal defenders at times, his lack of pace enabled opponents to close him down quickly.
Albert Zohmingmawia – 6/10
A constant presence in the attacking third, Albert pressed the opposition when he lost the ball and he chased East Bengal defenders to commit mistakes. He missed an easy chance when Kamo squared it for him to slot in at the back of the net in the 53rd minute, but he shot it straight to the goalie.
Jayesh Rane – 5/10
Rane looked quite agile in the opening quarter of the game which saw some sublime link-up play between him and Kamo, which ultimately ended in nothing. Other than that, he was ineffective throughout the game till he was taken off in the 86th minute.
Bayi Kamo Stephane (6)
He was the target man up front for Aizawl and most of their attacks went through him. He held the ball up till his team-mates came to support him. He used his strength well, brushing off defenders and laying easy chances for the likes of Jayesh and Albert on many occasions.
Substitutes
Brandon Vanlalremdika – 6/10
He was tremendous in the last quarter when he came on. He almost had the perfect chance to be a super sub, when his volley went just wide. His pace took East Bengal by surprise on more than one occasions and it was unfortunate he couldn’t slot one home.
Lalthakima – (N/A)
Ashutosh Mehta – (N/A)
