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SC East Bengal beat Jamshedpur FC 2-1 in their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao on Sunday. Matti Steinmann (6') and Anthony Pilkington (68') were the goalscorers for the Red and Gold Brigade, while Peter Hartley (83') pulled one back for the Red Miners late on.
This win helped SC East Bengal to climb up to the ninth spot on the ISL table with 16 points from as many matches. The narrow victory also kept their mathematical chances of reaching the playoffs alive.
Here are four things we learned from the match.
#4 Nerijus Valskis drops deep but fails to score
Nerijus Valskis dropped deep to collect balls and create chances. In the first-half, he was everywhere on the pitch, except inside the penalty box where Jamshedpur FC needed him the most.
However, the Lithuanian played a more advanced role after the break, with the likes of Farukh Choudhary and Seiminlen Doungel donning the role of creating chances.
In the 63rd minute, Valskis met Farukh's low cross from the left, but his effort hit the woodwork. It has been six matches since last season's ISL Golden Boot winner has found the back of the net for Jamshedpur FC.
#3 SC East Bengal look threatening from set-pieces
SC East Bengal once again scored from a dead-ball situation when Matti Steinmann gave them the lead as early as the sixth minute. Narayan Das whipped in a corner-kick at the near post, and the German midfielder flicked the ball into the back of the net with his glancing header.
Steinmann could have doubled SC East Bengal's lead just before half-time when he got his head at the end of a long throw-in from Raju Gaikwad. However, he misjudged the flight of the ball and his effort went wide.
SC East Bengal are the only ISL team to have a specialist set-piece coach in the form of former Blackpool manager Terry McPhillips. The Englishman has done a nice job, with the Kolkata giants' last three of their four goals coming from dead-ball situations.
#2 Jamshedpur FC's hopes of reaching the playoffs all but over
The defeat saw Jamshedpur FC remain seventh on the ISL table with just 18 points from 16 matches. The Red Miners, who have struggled for goals in recent games, are winless in their last seven outings.
Jamshedpur FC have scored just five goals in their last seven matches. Against SC East Bengal, they had less possession and committed more fouls.
Jamshedpur FC's remaining four fixtures include matches against ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC, who occupy the top two positions in the ISL table. With teams like FC Goa, Hyderabad FC, and NorthEast United FC having more points, Jamshedpur FC's chances of making it to the playoffs look bleak.
#1 Robbie Fowler's string of changes paid dividends
SC East Bengal head coach Robbie Fowler was absent from the dugout as he served the first of his four-match suspension. However, the former Liverpool striker must be happy with his side's efforts.
SC East Bengal made six changes to their starting line-up. Debjit Majumder, Scott Neville, Wahengbam Angousana, Ajay Chhetri, Harmanpreet Singh, and Aaron-Amadi Holloway were left out in place of Subrata Paul, Raju Gaikwad, Sarthak Golui, Jacques Maghoma, Sourav Das, and Anthony Pilkington.
Pilkington scored in the 68th minute to double SC East Bengal's lead. Raju and Sarthak combined to make 12 clearances, four tackles, and three interceptions. Maghoma won three crucial fouls for his team, while Sourav had an 83% passing accuracy, the highest by a SC East Bengal player.
