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In the 11th minute against NorthEast United FC (NEUFC) on Thursday, October 20, Naorem Mahesh Singh won the ball near the opposition box for East Bengal. The Manipuri forward then laid the ball off for Cleiton Silva, who stabbed it home. Right after the ball nestled into the net, the Brazilian ran towards the dugout and hugged Sumeet Passi.
Coming into the clash against the Highlanders, the Kolkata giants suffered two consecutive defeats in the ISL. As the poor results kept piling on, Passi bore the brunt of the criticism from the fans.
Cleiton, while talking to the East Bengal media team after the NEUFC game, underlined that fans should respect Passi and what he's doing for the club, saying.
"I just want to tell the fans to respect Passi and what this guy is doing a little bit more. He's doing a great job with the group and fighting a lot. So just remember that he's a human being."
Earlier, during the pre-match conference for the NEUFC game, East Bengal head coach Stephen Constantine also had a similar message for the fans.
Passi has played in multiple positions since joining the Red and Gold Brigade. However, he soon became an emblem of everything wrong with the club. Fans have been targeting him continuously and questioning his regular selection in the starting line-up.
Questions were also raised about Constantine perpetrating favortism, but the former Indian national team boss rubbished those claims. However, after his poor performance against FC Goa, where he had to be taken off early on in the second half, Passi was dropped from the starting XI against NorthEast United.
"We did everything the coached asked us to do" - East Bengal's Cleiton Silva after the victory against NorthEast United FC
The Red and Gold Brigade registered their first victory of the ISL 2022-23 season as they downed the Highlanders 3-1 on Thursday. Silva was left satisfied by his performance and credited Constantine's strategy for the victory. He explained:
"Today in the game we ran a lot, we kept going. It's not about me but the team. We did everything the coached asked us to do."
For East Bengal, their next match will be the all-important Kolkata derby against ATK Mohun Bagan on October 29. The Mariners are also coming into the clash on the back of an emphatic 5-2 win over Kerala Blasters FC.
When asked if beating NorthEast United would motivate the East Bengal players ahead of the derby, Cleiton replied:
"We will always be motivated for the derby. We don't need to think too much, it's a big game. If there are 60,000-70,000 people, how can you not be excited to play this game. It will be amazing."
Meanwhile, even against ATKMB, the Red and Gold Brigade will be hoping for Cleiton to lead the attacking line. However, while concluding the interview, the 35-year-old stressed that it's not about him individually, but the team as a whole.
