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East Bengal came back from a one-goal deficit to win 2-1 against an upbeat Bengaluru FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday evening. The visiting side put up a spirited display with their reserve team and were in the lead almost till the hour mark after Ajay Chhetri opened the scoring in the 18th minute.
Two strikes from super-sub Bidyasagar Singh steered them to a victory and also cemented their place in the semi-finals.
This will be a relief for East Bengal, especially after the shocking 0-1 defeat to George Telegraph in the Calcutta Football League. East Bengal will play Gokulam Kerala in the semi-final next week. Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC have been eliminated from the Durand Cup.
#3 Bengaluru FC's young brigade lacked experience
Bengaluru FC played with their reserves, and the team was overseen by Naushad Moussa, who is not well-known for his tactical prowess. Yet, the Blues never looked ordinary in front of the mighty East Bengal even for a minute.
Comprised of young Indian footballers, the team from Bengaluru gave a hard time to the 16-time champions. The players started with positive intent, built-up play well, and went for the kill when required. The hard work reaped results in the 18th minute when Ajay Chhetri tapped the ball to score the first goal.
Bengaluru FC played passing football and supplied through balls to the forwards. They created openings at regular intervals and kept East Bengal’s defence busy throughout. But they could not re-create something similar in the second half, and their finishing was not up to the mark or they could have scored at least another goal. The main deficiency of the squad was inexperience; the young guns need more games to mature as players.
#2 East Bengal's change of tactics in second-half
East Bengal was a bit complacent in the first half in what was their first match at the Salt Lake Stadium this season. After an ordinary first half, the ‘red and gold’ brigade pulled up their socks in the second half. Alejandro Menendez introduced Bidyasagar Singh, while Boithang Haokip, who was struggling till then, was taken off.
The change had a positive impact on the entire side. They played a lot of long balls in the first-half, but that changed once the second period began.
East Bengal gathered momentum in the second half, with Bidyasagar acting as a catalyst. Brandon, Colado, and Bidyasagar combined well, played short passes between themselves.
The opening minutes of the second half swung the game in favor of the Kolkata giants, and the goals followed soon. At the end of the day, the East Bengal camp would be happy with the way they have come back.
#1 Super-sub Bidyasagar Singh
The forward from the North-East has been around the Kolkata outfit for a while. Having represented Bengal in the Santosh Trophy back in 2017, he was mostly in East Bengal’s dugout last year. But coach Alejandro Menendez showed faith in him this season. This was his third appearance in the Durand Cup, and so far, he has netted 5 times. The forward was brought on in the second half, and his introduction was a turning point in the match.
A rather dysfunctional striking department came alive once Bidyasagar stepped in. His first goal came off a left-footed volley, just a minute before the hour mark. He was not done for the day though, and netted a second in the 74th minute, courtesy of a curled shot which got the better of goalkeeper Aditya Patra. The goal sealed the game for East Bengal and ensured that he will be a key player for the side in the knock-out stages.
