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East Bengal got the perfect start of their I-League campaign with a 2-0 win over Neroca FC at the Khuman Lampak Stadium in Imphal on Saturday.
Spanish striker Enrique Esqueda scored both the goals, one in each half, to make his debut in a fashionable manner. Neroca FC, a relatively younger side, got their chances but couldn’t capitalise any of them.
This is East Bengal’s first win against Neroca FC, having drawn both their matches last season. Also, coach Alejandro Menendez marked his debut in India with a win.
The north-eastern clubs are always a thorn in the flesh for the red-and-gold. In the past seasons, they have either lost or held by their opponent in this part of the country. However, the times are changing and East Bengal are no more minnows in the north-eastern region.
East Bengal got the quick lead in the 10th minute. Aryn Williams tried to head back but the ball fell to Esqueda, who chested it down and unleashed a powerful shot on the top right corner.
The Kolkata club got their second when Denechandram brought down Laldanmawia inside the box. Referee Raktim Saha wasted no time in awarding East Bengal the penalty. Though Neroca FC custodian dived on the right side, he couldn’t stop the powerful shot from Esqueda.
Let us look at the major points of the game:
#5 East Bengal’s defence gets passmark
In the Calcutta Football League, East Bengal’s defending abilities came under serious question. They have conceded more than one goals in their last three matches.
World Cupper Johnny Acosta, who made his debut against Mohun Bagan in the CFL, couldn’t provide the much-needed solidity. East Bengal conceded cheaply against their opponents and criticisms followed.
Back in the I-League, we’ve seen a different team altogether. The red and gold management roped in Spanish defender Borja Gomez. Acosta was already there and the two have built up a beautiful understanding between them.
On a day, when Neroca FC attacked furiously, Acosta and Gomez didn’t let their team down and thwarted everything that came in their way. Borja is tall so he can dwell on aerial ball, while Acosta uses his physique to keep away defenders.
#4 Too many mistakes from Neroca FC in the attacking third
Neroca FC had Spanish coach, Manuel Retamero in their ranks. He decided not to experiment too much and deployed a simple 4-4-2 formation with Subhash Singh and Felix Chidi on the upfront.
Neroca FC dominated the game right from the start and kept possession more than East Bengal. They attacked more using the two wings through Malemnganba Meitei and Katsumi Yusa. Both of them performed brilliantly but failed to get the goals.
Keeping 60 percent possession against a team like East Bengal is a huge task. But Neroca did just that. They kept pressurising rival defenders, tried to create spaces, and had a few scoring opportunities but failed to score goals.
Malemnbanga should take the responsibility for not putting his team ahead in the 25th minute when Katsumi provided him a beautiful cross which he failed to make use of. Chidi too was wasteful on the afternoon along with Subhash Singh.
#3 East Bengal’s missing midfield
On a day when Mahmoud Al Amnah was missing and Kassim Aidara was kept on the bench, someone had to come out and take the responsibility in the midfield. But no one did that as red and gold lost the control of the midfield immediately after the start.
Yami Longvah and Kamalpreet Singh, both are young and can outpace their opponents. But in a game which is dominated by their opponents, they had to use to some experience. There were too many misplaced passes on the midfield and the East Bengal players failed to keep possession.
As the game went on, the holes in the midfield became bigger. Aryn Williams and Tondonba used the gap smoothly. No one came to challenge them.
Amnah takes too much workload in the midfield and he often play a deeper role to get the ball. Aidara concentrates more on attack. Except for captain Lalrindika Ralte, no one did that.
#2 Possession-based football from Neroca FC
Before the match, Neroca FC captain Lalit Thapa had said that, they will play a different style of football this time.
Over the years, most of the teams from the north-eastern states used direct football, long balls most of the time.
But under coach Retamero, Neroca FC changed their style. Against East Bengal, they concentrated on keeping the possession and not lose the ball cheaply. They did it superbly. With numerous passes, they kept the danger always within their opponents half.
East Bengal coach Menendez had also said about playing tiki-taka and his team should be lucky coming out with all the three points after being outplayed at the midfield. Except one or two, East Bengal doesn’t have the players who can adapt with the possession-based football.
But one thing has changed. East Bengal defenders are playing short passes among themselves and not hurrying to clear the ball whenever an attack is coming their way.
#1 Esqueda impresses on debut
Enrique Esqueda has scored against AC Milan, Manchester City and Real Madrid in his early career. Not many players in the I-League can boast that kind of CV.
As usual, the eyes were on the Spaniard and how he performs on a different league like this. Considering his debut performance, Esqueda impressed one and all.
He is a player who knows how to utilise a half chance. That is what he did during the ball. Williams’s header fell on to him, which he chested down calmly and triggered a shot towards the goal, making sure the goalkeeper had no chance to save.
During the match, he took the positions, combined well with his partner Joby Justin and kept the rival defenders under pressure. Even he made a goal-line save during a corner and helped his team to come out with a clean sheet.
But he went down cheaply a couple of times to earn a free-kick, amid the vehement protests by the Neroca FC defenders. He should take care of this as any kind of play-acting could earn him a caution from the referee.
