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East Bengal FC emerged back on track with considerable charm to defeat Kerala Blasters FC in a thrilling Indian Super League (ISL) match on Friday. For the Red and Gold brigade this was not just about getting the three points, it was more of ‘Oh well this nasty streak is finally over, the three match losing streak and the first victory in five matches. The win spoke a lot of volumes about the ability of the team to transform their season whether at home or away.
During a home match, East Bengal FC dominated critical moments of the match, Vishnu and Maher Hijazi added them to the scores. The Kerala Blasters FC, nevertheless, hit back in added time through Danish Farooq to score an individual goal, much to the consolation, however.
A Much-Needed Turnaround for East Bengal FC
The win was first since 1-0 victory against Jamshedpur FC on December 21 at the end of the year for East Bengal FC. As with the fans and the players, this triumph can really come at no better time. This particular match was important for the Red an Golds for the following reasons: After a poor series of results where the team had even lost three games in a row, a match offers a chance to reconstruct confidence.
This was also for the first time in nine matches that East Bengal FC had a lead in the first half, which was a big boost for the side going into the second half-sort of.
The Opening Exchanges: Kerala Blasters Dominate Possession
Initially it was total domination for the Kerala Blasters FC as the game started with the visitors having more of the ball possession. They seemed to be determined and preset on setting the pace. It was a tactic used to great effect, especially having the Blasters rely largely on a player in Noah Sadaoui, who played nearly all his soccer on the right wing. But they failed to develop a tactical strategy, which eventually became monotonous for the opponents; now East Bengal FC was ready to unravel this monotony.
While the Red and Gold brigade preferred supporting attacks and counter-attacks, they stood and waited for the opportunities to use them. They packed their formation in a manner to deny Kerala Blasters space to attack while manufacturing overlapping that put the visitors on the back foot at times.
PV Vishnu’s Stunning Opener
The breakthrough finally arrived in the 20th minute when Cleiton Silva put in a good cross from a free-kick with PV Vishnu waiting at the far post. The young forward showed great poise, leaving his man for dead and rounding Sachin Suresh, Kerala Blasters goalkeeper, with a piece of trickery.
As the ball went into the net for the equalizer, Singh tried to get it off the line, but he was too late. Vishnu desired for nothing more than another moment which could also be crucial for East Bengal FC which seemed visibly gaining confidence as the match went on.
East Bengal FC Gains Momentum
Thus, conforming to Vishnu’s idea, the hosts began to push forwards and create several excellent opportunities. Dimitrios Diamantakos and Cleiton Silva thus again probing the Kerala Blasters defense the link-up play.
One of the biggest highlight was when Richard Celis took a free kick and fires a blistering shot which hits the post. While they were unable to double their lead in the first half, however, East Bengal FC had the rare occasion of going into the dressing room ahead.
Kerala Blasters’ Second-Half Revival Attempt
The Kerala Blasters FC came back into the break with a new vigor in the game. They tackled more deliberately, passed more incisely, and the desire to level parity was apparent to them. Noah Sadaoui continued to be the key man for their chances in an attacking perspective, and he kept trying to find a spot infront of the defenders of East Bengal FC.
In the 58th minute the Kerala team was going for more attacking flavor brought on Kwame Peprah into the field. He added a new style to their game to which East Bengal’s defenders especially Lalchungnunga stood their grounds. Lalchungnunga’s brilliant intervention when he cleared Noah’s header from what looked like a certain goal was the turning point of the match which safeguarded East Bengal’s slender advantage.
Hijazi Maher’s Game-Changing Header
As Kerala Blasters began to look for the equalizor, East Bengal FC kicked in and scored their second goal in the 72nd minute. This time, it was Hijazi Maher who showed himself to be the hero: Quite literally, in fact. Getting a perfect corner kick by Naorem Mahesh Singh, Hijazi was the only man in the box without his marker.
Another spectacular header gave Sachin Suresh a_trial, when he made the score 2-0 for East Bengal by scoring his second goal of the season. The setting of this goal was strategic to the game calendar because it created a buffer for the hosts and placed them in the all-important driving seat.
Danish Farooq’s Consolation Goal
Kerala Blasters FC could not be cowed and were on the attack to search for the much needed equalizer. This persistence came into realization during the last few minutes of the match when Danish Farooq managed to pull a loose wire to unleash a well taken goal.
Nonetheless, East Bengal FC bettered itself at the last gasp and then collectively defended the remaining of the match without conceding any more goals. Farooq’s goal made for some very spice at the fag end, but that was not enough to stop East Bengal from having a richly deserved victory.
What This Win Means for East Bengal FC
The rather emphatic victory can easily be seen as the launching pad fro East Bengal’s campaign in the ISL. They now have a chance to gather synechdotes and move up the leage table with three important moments in their belts. Much more importantly, the win proved to that they could do so while really under the cosh and turning promising positions into tangible gains.
The fans learned a lot, this match is evidence that they were a team capable of beating the best when they stick to what they know how to do best. Using young talents like PV Vishnu besides experience personality like Cleiton Silva make East Bengal FC to have all rounded squad that can be able to challenge other club in the league.
Key Takeaways from the Match
PV Vishnu’s Impact: The youngster was able to achieve his goal which should serve as evidence of his talent and confidence when on the fields for the East Bengal FC team.
Defensive Resilience: The backline of the Red and Gold brigade was quite sturdy especially Lalchungnunga who commanded the Kerala Blasters’ invasion.
Set-Piece Mastery: As witnessed in Maher’s goal with a header from a corner, the team needed to learn how to take advantage of set-piece goals.
Kerala Blasters’ Overreliance on Noah: The overall improved performance however, was let down by the Blasters’ lack of creativity going forward because of the predictability in their set pieces.
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