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Three times National League Champions East Bengal come on top against newly formed Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC in a pre-season friendly at the TATA Sports Complex Practice Pitch. Goals from Mahmoud Al Amna, Surahbuddin Mallik and an own goal from Yumnam Raju sealed the deal for the Kolkata Giants.
It was a tale of two halves in the Steel City. East Bengal had taken the initiative in the first half, while Jamshedpur had the upper hand in the second. First real chance of the game came for the Red and Golds, when Brandon Vanlalremdika came agonisingly close to score but was denied by Sanjiban Ghosh.
East Bengal kept on pressing for the opener and eventually got their reward as the Syrian Midfielder Mahmoud Al Amna swung a pile-driver which flew into the net, as the I-League side took the lead.
Jamshedpur FC tried to turn the tables as they pressed hard from the flanks with Mehtab Hossain floating in the long balls one after another. They were finally awarded a spot-kick after an infringement in the East Bengal box.
Kervens Belfort stepped up to take the shot and he found the net with ease to restore parity as Mirshad dived the other way. Both the teams went into the break with the scores level.
The second half saw quick-crosses from the right side from East Bengal and they found the net again, as a shot from Willis Plaza took a wicked deflection from Yumnam Raju, as Sanjiban Ghosh was left stranded.
Gurwinder Singh was then sent off for a very harsh tackle on Jamshedpur FC's Mehtab Hossain against the run of play.
Since the second goal, it was all Jamshedpur FC as they tried their best to find the equaliser. With all of their players attacking up the pitch, East Bengal had the golden chance to hit them on counter. A Clearance from a corner allowed the East Bengal forwards to advance as Surahbuddin Mallik slotted the ball past a hapless Sanjiban Ghosh to make it 3-1.
That was all for the day, as East Bengal ended their Pre-Season on a high with 2 wins, 2 losses and a draw as they go into the I-League with a very good momentum. As for, Jamshedpur FC, they need to pull up their socks if they want to aim for the top four in the upcoming tournament.
