Final Score: East Bengal 2-2 Shillong Lajong FC (Aggregate 3-4)
120: Do Donghyun crosses beautifully, Ralte’s header, over the cross bar. The story of the match so far for East Bengal.
119: Haokip has been awarded the Hero of the match award.
117: East Bengal looks down and out.
116: Pin drop silence in the stadium. This game is done. Especially with the Away Goal rule introduced.
115: GOAL!!!! Ullllllliiiiiiiaaaaaammmms scores. Cross field pass. Chest control. Volley. Van Persie ? Who?
112: Do Donghyun and Narayan Das combine brilliantly. Narayan Das fakes the cross, turns, comes into the box, crosses for Ranty Martins. He can’t adjust his feet in time and the ball hits him into the welcoming hands of Vishal.
107: Do Donghyun goes past two and tries to pull the ball back. Misses it completely. Throws himself on the ground. The Ref buys it. Free Kick.
105: Final fifteen minutes now. “ East Bengal, East Bengal” chants ring around the stadium.
105: First half of Extra Time over.
105: Mama drifts the ball in from the right. Easy for Vishal. Bernard Mendy though goes and gives him a friendly body push.
103: Do Donghyun shoots from outside the box. Deflection from the defender makes it easy for the goalkeeper.
101: Uilliams is a player. He just glides past people. A la James Rodriguez if you like.
98: Lovely pick out by Mehtab, Mendy crosses well. Brilliantly headed out by Tamang. One way traffic right now.
96: Mendy’s game has dipped since he came on, he loses the ball two times within a minute.
94: Mama with a chance. “Very Feeble Delivery”. Ranty keeps waiting.
92: Mehtab Hossain is getting a lot of space, hitting his vintage long passes. SJ should press him, he can do a lot of damage.
90: Substitution for EB: Khabra out. Mama in.
The game petered out a bit in the last quarter. The pace of the game so far taking its toll on the players.
90+2: Full Time: Aggregate Score East Bengal 3-3 Shillong Lajong. Thirty minutes of extra-time awaits
90: Two minutes of extra-time seems a bit fishy. We have had a lot of stoppages. We move on.
86: Pena appears to have picked up an injury. Mostly a hamstring injury. Substitution for SJ. Fabio Pena out. Hardy Cliff in.
85: The game is getting stretched. It’s been stop-start for a while. I don’t blame the players
82: EB creating but unable to finish. Narayan Das crosses onto Donghyun head. He heads over.
80: Ranty gets hurt on the back of the head, the referee calls for medical attention.
78: Bernard Mendy looks like the dangerman. Cuts in on his left and unleashes on his left. Well held by the SJ goalkeeper.
77: Haokip goes past Didika, chopped down. Yellow Card for Didika.
76: Sitter for Narayan Das. HOW DID HE MISS THAT? Shoots over. “I could have scored that”.
74: Mendy and Ranty combining well again. Mendy shoots, away from the goal post. Disappointing. Waves his arms towards the crowd to increase the volume and gets a great reception.
72: Ranty crosses in with his left (from the right), Mendy tries to lob the goalkeeper, loops over the crossbar.
71: Water Break. It is very humid in Kolkata. The players look tired. Best of luck playing Extra-Time
70: Haokip with a step-over and shot. Sails over the cross-bar spaces opening up. Haokip looks good. Fast and Tricky.
66: The front three of Bipin, Pena and Issac combining. Bipin tries to push the ball and whip a cross in, the ball goes out for a corner.
63: Uilliams has been a nuisance since he has come on. Forces a corner, as the EB defender tries to pass the ball back to the goalkeeper.
62: Substitution. Deepak Mondal out. Bernard Mendy in.
61: Donghyun goes past one and tries to cross, fouled. The referee lets it go, Didika with a ‘kick-out’ like challenge, referee blows his whistle, but he gets away without a yellow card.
60: Noting comes out of that, over-hit.
59: Arnab Mondol and Sanju Pradhan both get booked in two minutes. Arnab for arguing with the ref, Sanju deservedly for a clinical challenge. Free kick to SL in a promising position.
57: Ranty crosses from the right wing for Donghyun, roles reversed. Donghyun controls, tries to turn, the referee blows his whistle for a handball.
54:Ranty Martins looks frustrated. The final ball hasn’t been great from EB. Donghyun tries a Hollywood Pass, just a tad too long for Ranty.
52:Corner for SJ. Eb tries to counter, Sanju loses the ball dilly dallying on the ball.
48: The Lajong Goalkeeper Kaith makes a mess of a cross, ricochets off the legs of his defenders. Lucky escape.
47: Lovely stuff from Lajong.Ulliams with the cross, what a save from Rahenesh, pushes onto the bar.
46: Lovely through ball by Sanju Pradhan, Ranty tries a back heel, doesn’t pay off.
46: The Red and Yellow brigade kick of the game.
45: The players are back on the pitch. Second half about to start.
45+2: Half-Time : East Bengal 2- 1 Shillong Lajong. If things stay this way we go to extra-time
45: What a brilliantly enjoyable game to watch till now. Free kick for SJ, Uilliams curls it in, Rahnesh punches it away, Uilliams puts it back, gathered by Rahnesh.
44: Narayan Das with a right footed shot. That looked like a right footed shot of a left-back. Miles away from the goal.
43: The floodlights are being turned on.
42: That man Donghyun again, just overhits the ball for Ranti Martins. Close call.
40: Uilliams with a brilliant run, Fabio can't finish.
37: GOAALL. What a touch from Donghyun , setting up Ralte. First time left-footed shot into the far corner.
34: Substitution for SJ. Lalmuanpuia out. Uilliams in.
30: Slow build up play from EB again, Donghyun taking on two three players at a go, and nearly going through as well.
28: Ralte shoots. Straight at the goalkeeper. That was patient build up from EB.
25. Take a breather. Water Break. End to end game till now. The second penalty was debatable. Can't take your eyes off this one.
24. GOAALL. “East Bengal- East Bengal” shout the supporters. Another Penalty, Donghyun takes the ball into his left feet, and shoots hits the defenders hand. Penalty. Ranty Martins scores, easy peasy.
22: Shillong is playing well on the counter. Bipin Singh looks dangerous.
21: Ralte with a speculative effort. Bad technique, I am sure he won’t be happy with that.
18: Aggregate Score:East Bengal-1 vs Shillong Lajong FC-3
17: GOOOOAL. Fabio slots it into the left bottom corner. That was against the run of play.
16: The Referee points to the spot. PENALTY. Arnab Mondol handles the ball in the area. The captain marvel for East Bengal is the villain this time.
14:Ranti Martins with a half chance, put off by that man Penn Orji. Morgan looks unimpressed.
11: Mehtab keeps switching it to Donghyun, that seems like a tactic for EB. This time, though, Donghyun can’t get his first touch right.
9: Do Donghyun is the dangerman, crosses from the left, Ranty Martin deflects it towards the goal. The Linesman flags offside.
8: The game should be won or lost in the middle, with Orji and Mehtab.
6: It’s pretty hot in Kolkata but the supporters are out in numbers, with their drums. The match is pretty open till now.
3: Lovely cross from Narayan Das, Khabra unable to connect properly. Close call. That was on the break, Rahnesh being worked on the other side.
0: We kick off. The Whites are already on the back-foot. East Bengal attacking from the go ,and pressing high.
The starting eleven named for the two teams are as follows
Kingfisher East Bengal Playing 11: Arnab Mondal (C),Narayan Das, Olademeji Rasaq (F), Harmanjot Singh Khabra, Ranty Martins (F), Deepak Mandal, Rahenesh TP, Mehtab Hossain, Sanju Pradhan, Lalrindika Ralte, Do Donghyun(F)
Shillong Lajong Fc Playing 11: Nimdoorjee Tamang,Konsham, Fabio Pena(F),Lalmuanpuia,Haokip,Pen Orji(C) (F),Vishal Kaith (GK), S Pritam Singh, Samuel Shadap, Bipin Singh, Issac Chhakchhuak
Kingfisher East Bengal takes on Shillong Lajong FC, in the second leg of the First Round of the Federation Cup between the two teams. Lajong had won the first leg against East Bengal two goals to one. The Second Leg taking place in the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata is promised to be a tasty affair between the two teams. The Kolkata-based football had an ordinary 2015-16 I-League season as it finished third in the domestic league table behind the eventual league champions, Bengaluru FC and its arch rival, Mohun Bagan. Although it secured the third position on the I-League table, East Bengal had only managed to secure 25 points at the end of the season, seven less than the champions, Bengaluru FC. They will be hoping that their star forward Ranty Martins can provide inspiration to the proceedings.
Shillong Lajong, on the other hand, had finished sixth in the I-League table and therefore, will be determined for a good show against the eight-time Federation Cup champions. However, a 4.30 PM kick-off in typically hot and humid Kolkata conditions wouldn't make things easier for Shillong Lajong.
