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SC East Bengal came face-to-face with Kerala Blasters FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Sunday.
The Red and Gold brigade had lost their last outing 4-3 against FC Goa in a match that saw both sides fight to the end. They desperately needed a win in this fixture. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters had managed to win against in-form Odisha FC and focused on repeating the feat.
Both sides had a new face in between the sticks. Sankar Roy replaced Suvam Sen in the SC East Bengal line-up. Suvam Sen had been in the squad since Arindam Bhattacharya's injury in the Kolkata derby. Prabhsukhan Gill replaced the injured Albino Gomes in the Kerala Blasters FC goal.
Right from the very first whistle, SC East Bengal looked like the more defensive side. Strikers Antonio Perosevic and Daniel Chima Chukwu were positioned higher to lead the attack in case of a counter. Kerala Blasters FC had more possession of the ball and were dictating the game. The Yellow Tuskers were imaginative and used the flanks to progress the ball but lacked the cutting edge to make it to the final third.
SC East Bengal defender Tomislav Mrcela scored his first
Towards the end of the first half, SC East Bengal got a throw-in on their left flank. Raju Gaikwad's throw-in found the head of teammate Tomislav Mrcela and the Australian managed to score his first goal in the ISL.
Kerala Blasters FC defender Enes Sipovic had to be replaced by Abdul Hakku after he went down injured late in the first half.
Just before the 45th minute mark, Kerala Blasters FC carried out a similar move to their opponents. Jessel Carneiro's throw-in found Alvaro Vasquez in the SC East Bengal box and the game was brought back to parity by the Spanish forward.
The second half began with Kerala Blasters bringing in Chencho Gyeltshen in place of Sahal Abdul Samad to add more pace to their attack. SC East Bengal started the second half on a stronger note but without doing any impactful damage to their opponents. The game slowly proceeded to be a battle of midfield domination.
Nishu Kumar was introduced by Ivan Vukomanovic in the 60th minute to add more dominance in the attacking third and squeeze out a winner. Manolo Diaz introduced Amir Dervisevic in place of Daniel Chima Chukwu to help SC East Bengal find more stability in the middle third.
SC East Bengal created a chance for themselves when Antonio Perosevic charged towards the Kerala Blasters FC goal. He hit a low shot which was saved by Gill. Substitute Jorge Diaz turned in one for the Blasters but it was called off as a foul for a push on Franjo Prce.
The final moments of the game saw SC East Bengal sit back and soak in pressure from Kerala Blasters FC. The latter looked adventurous in the final third seeking a winner but that didn't come.
The game ended 1-1 and SC East Bengal seemed relieved with a point to their name.
Click here to view the ISL fixtures.
