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Aizawl and East Bengal played out a stalemate in Tuesday's I-League encounter. Both teams began the match on an extremely positive note but the game wore off as the minutes passed by.
Post this 0-0 draw, Aizawl, now fourth, remain 5 points behind EB who will continue to occupy second position on the points table. Here are the major talking points from the match.
#1 Aggressive start by Aizawl takes hesitant EB by surprise
Having won three of their previous four games, Aizawl headed into this encounter with massive belief and intent. The home side began to string impressive passes from the get-go. The men in red were quick and successful in their attempt to begin the match on an extremely high tempo.
East Bengal, on the other hand, looked slow at the back. Their defenders attempted to play out the ball but Aizawl pressed high up the pitch which caught the visitors by surprise. Albert and Jaryan were especially lively for Aizawl. EB's back four had a tough time initially as they were incessantly hounded by reigning champions. The hosts made sure to pounce on every moment of hesitancy displayed by the Kolkata outfit.
#2 Katsumi Yusa sets the standard
With Aizawl dominating possession and creating the better chances, East Bengal were desperately looking to someone for inspiration. That someone was usual suspect, Katsumi Yusa.
The midfielder was among the few if not the only player for EB who looked confident and positive on the ball. He was ever-present in the middle of the park, picking up the loose ball and running at Aizawl's back line with intent.
His stinging free kick in the first half was parried away by keeper Paul. The rebound fell kindly to Katsumi but his well taken shot scraped the post. Yusa was poised and unlike his colleagues, never looked unsettled when in possession.
#3 Aizawl let EB's back four off the hook
Far too many times, East Bengal's defenders were indecisive in their own half. Mind you, these are seasoned defenders who have played at the highest level of Indian football. At times, the confusion between the centre-backs and full-backs was borderline comical.
The likes of Arnab Mondal, Eduardo and Salam Singh were all guilty of being unclear in their approach. Mondal was rightly substituted 3 minutes into the second half. This confusion was omnipresent throughout the first half and gave Aizawl's front line impetus to keep attacking as they kept peppering Barretto with long-range efforts.
East Bengal have been among the better defensive units this season in the I-League. However, they never looked settled at the back. It was unlike them and it only added to the home side's confidence. Fortunately for EB, their opponents could not make most of their mistakes.
#4 East Bengal sorely missed a target man
One look at the line up for EB will tell you that the visitors had no out-and-out striker in their starting eleven. With new signing Dudu set to start in the Kolkata Derby on Sunday, East Bengal found it extremely tough to finish off their moves.
Katsumi, Brandon and Al Amna's influence on the match grew tenfold in the second half. Unfortunately, they did not have a target man to feed their incisive passes to. Crosses from the wings were easily cleared by Aizawl's back-four.
Nobody of significant height was present in the box for EB to make the most of those dangerous crosses. The absence of a striker also meant the visitors were craving a player who could hold on to the ball and bring others into the game. Their attack always seemed hurried and lacked clarity.
#5 Free flowing football turns into a dogfight
What started off as an end-to-end game turned into a dogfight for the final 15 minutes. In the beginning, Aizawl and East Bengal consistently traded blows as they attempted to find an early goal.
Expansive football, slick passes and well-targeted shots, the first half had all the ingredients of a good attacking match. However as the game progressed into the second half, it became clear that neither side were willing to lose the game.
As the minutes passed, both teams began to flood the midfield with numbers knowing very well that they'd be better off with a point rather than risking it all. It turned into an extremely cagey affair with neither side finding the space nor the men to build something dangerous.
