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East Bengal opened their I-League campaign against Aizawl FC, last season champions, at the majestic Salt Lake Stadium, in Kolkata, in what was a homecoming game of sorts for the Red and Golds.
The match started at a blistering pace with East Bengal attacking through the right flanks more. Wills Plaza could have given the hosts a 2-0 lead within 13 minutes, had he not missed a couple of sitters. Aizawl, on the other hand, looked more dangerous with every set piece they got.
The midfield battle between Alfred and Amna, both teammates last season, also lit up the game as the two players tried to outplay each other.
The second half started with East Bengal pressing their foot on the gas and trying to break the deadlock. Within the first 20 minutes of the first half, East Bengal could have amassed a three-goal lead had Avilash Paul not made some mind-blowing saves.
Eventually, East Bengal let go of a two-goal lead as Aizawl came back from 2-0 down to level the scores at 2-2. Here, we take a look at how all the players performed during the match.
East Bengal
Mirshad (6.5): Mirshad didn’t have to do much during the game. When called into action, though, he pulled off some brilliant saves towards the dying moments of the game. Though he could have done more during the second goal, Aizawl scored
Eduardo (7): Scored East Bengal’s first goal of the season. However, he was at fault when Aizawl scored their late equaliser.
Salam Ranjan (6.5): Looked solid during the game, but was shaky during defending set-plays.
Chullova (6): Chullova couldn’t venture forward much, and his defending to was also not up to the mark.
Deepak Kumar (6.5): The East Bengal left back did a good job in keeping the Aizawl wingers at bay, but he was left wanting when going forward. Except for making one good cross, he skied all the other opportunities he had to put in a good cross
Bajo (7.5): He was brilliant in breaking up Aizawl’s game and constantly won back possession for East Bengal. He also helped them win a lot of second balls.
Amna (6.5): Amna put in all he had, but looked a shade below his usual self. He made some wrong choices while playing the final pass.
Katsumi (8.5): Scoring on his East Bengal debut, Katsumi was lively all throughout the game. He cut in from the flanks and drifted wide whenever needed. He also scored a very unlikely goal to give East Bengal a 2-0 lead in the second half.
Rafique (7.5): Rafique was also brilliant today in the centre of the pitch. He proved a point to everyone who questioned why is he so highly rated by Indian national team coach Stephen Constantine.
Brandon (6.5): Even though Brandon provided the crucial assist for the first goal, he could have done a lot better on the flanks as his crosses were left wanting a lot of times. He also didn’t track back properly and help out his defence.
Plaza (6.5): Had brilliant chances to give East Bengal a three-goal lead. Plaza was at fault for missing some sitters during the game. He did look lively, beating the likes of Masih and Kareem but his end product was poor. Some might even blame him for East Bengal just getting a point of the game.
Aizawl FC
Avilash Paul (9): The former East Bengal and Pune FC academy keeper kept Aizawl alive in the game right from the 3rd minute of the game. He made some scintillating saves, especially during the phase right after halftime when East Bengal pressed their foot on the gas and went on the offensive.
Lalinzuala Khiangte (5.5): Khiangte didn’t venture forward much, but tried to keep the left wing of East Bengal blocked, but was often overrun by the likes of Katsumi and Deepak.
Lalramhmunmawia (6): He was the better of the two wing-backs for Aizawl. Munmawia made some crucial tackles to keep the likes of Brandon and Chullova at bay.
Kareem (6.5): Kareem was the man tasked with checking the late runs of Amna and Katsumi, even though he tried to do his job with conviction, he was often found out of place and beaten by the likes of Amna, Katsumi and Rafique. Kareem also provided the assist for Williams' goal from a David free kick.
Masih Saighani (6): The Afghan defender was often seen on his knees trying to check the likes of Plaza. He was nutmegged and beaten by Plaza's pace a couple of times.
Alfred (7.5): The heartbeat of Aizawl in the middle of the park. He hassled and harried the likes of Katsumi and Amna for every inch of pace.
David (6.5): David had a bittersweet game today. He failed to keep the likes of Rafique and Bajo quiet but his distribution and set-piece delivery was top notch today.
Lalmuan Kima (6.5): The Aizawl right winger did a good job venturing forward, he also helped Aizawl stretch the East Bengal defence but was poor while defending and seldom tracked back.
Lalnunfela (8.5): The scorer of both the goals for Aizawl, he looked lively on the left flank for Aizawl. He also helped to keep the likes of Chullova occupied in defence. He was the main man who spoilt East Bengal's party
Dodoz (6): Apart from one darting run, Dodoz didn't have much to do during the game and we seldom saw him with the ball.
Yugo (5): Yugo had a disappointing I-League debut as he hardly had any touches of the ball. Whenever he did receive the ball, he looked out of options and failed to keep possession.
