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What’s the story?
Subhash Bhowmick, technical director of East Bengal, has claimed that his team’s battle against Bengaluru FC as the final match of the inaugural edition of the Indian Super Cup will not be an impossible task.
While addressing the media on Wednesday, Bhowmick said, "There is nothing as unstoppable in football. Bengaluru FC are a professional side. Anything can happen in a cup final. This East Bengal team is good and capable of winning the Super Cup."
In case you didn’t know…
Indian Super League (ISL) runners-up, Bengaluru FC are all set to take on East Bengal in the final match of the Super Cup on Friday. The match is to be played in Odisha, at the Kalinga Stadium at 4 pm.
Having knocked out a 10-man FC Goa, East Bengal were the first ones to arrive into the finals of the tournament; while BFC trounced their former I-League rivals Mohun Bagan courtesy a hattrick from Miku and a breath-taking, Harry Kane-like finish from Chhetri, which confirmed BFC’s entry into the finale against East Bengal.
The heart of the matter
Subhash Bhowmick has expressed his confidence in his team publicly. He appreciated the Mariners’ performance against Bengaluru FC as the two met in the semi-final stages of the tournament.
He said, "Mohun Bagan lost concentration for 10 minutes and drifted away from the match. Toni Dovale changed the colour of the match. Bengaluru FC are a professional outfit. If you lose concentration even for a minute, you will invite trouble."
The former Churchill Brothers coach had much praise for Bengaluru's star frontman and ‘hero of the match’ Miku. But at the same time, proposed that it will not be impossible for EB to contain BFC’s Venezuelan goal scorer. The East Bengal technical director also confessed that he regards FC Goa's Ferran Corminas (better known as Coro) to be a more superior player than the Bengaluru FC striker.
"Miku is definitely a very good player but I think FC Goa's (Ferran) Corominas was more dangerous than Miku. So if we can stop Coro, we will be able to stop Miku in the final,” said Bhowmick.
What’s next?
The mouth-watering clash between the two rivals is all set to kick off on Friday. The excitement levels within the fans are rising, and the fixture is sure going to be a competitive game of football, as Roca’s men will take on East Bengal.
Author’s take
After having missed out on the ISL title to Chennaiyin FC earlier this year, Bengaluru FC will be determined to get their hand on the Super Cup to avenge the loss. Especially after Bhowmick’s comments, Miku will be fired up and have his eyes set on registering his name on the scoresheet as the action unfolds on April 20, 2018.
