At the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday, Oscar Bruzon’s East Bengal defeated Mohammedan Sporting 3-1 to resume their winning ways in the Indian Super League (ISL).
This match was a matter of honor for both Kolkata teams, who have had a difficult season and are unlikely to qualify for the knockout rounds. Earlier in the season, the two teams’ last meeting ended in a goalless draw.
- At the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday, Oscar Bruzon’s East Bengal defeated Mohammedan Sporting 3-1 to resume their winning ways in the Indian Super League (ISL).
- Key moments of the Match
- After the match, Oscar Bruzon highlighted at the press conference how happy he was with the substitutes and their ability to change the game with instant impact off the bench.
The Torchbearers won their first-ever ISL derby with goals from David Lalhlansanga, Saul Crespo, and Naorem Mahesh Singh.
East Bengal is currently ranked 11th in the rankings with 21 points from 20 games.
East Bengal controlled the first half, and their efforts paid off when Mahesh scored an incredible goal from inside the Mohammedan SC box after being found by a through pass from P.V. Vishnu. Then, with a strong left-footed volley, the winger beat goalkeeper Padam Chettri, who appeared to have raced out a little too soon.
Key moments of the Match
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In the 61st minute, East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon substituted Saul Crespo for Nandhakumar Sekar. The substitution was immediately successful, as the midfielder scored four minutes later.
Saul was in a pocket of space in the center of the box when Messi Bouli saw him there, and he took advantage of it perfectly to drive the ball into the bottom left corner with his right foot.
Three minutes later, Franca saw his attempt from a tight angle beat the opposing custodian Prabhsukhan Singh, giving Mohammedan SC their first response.
Mohammedan SC had many more opportunities to equalize, but they were unable to convert in the third half of the pitch. They missed three consecutive chances to score in the 77th minute, which was the greatest opportunity.
Prabhsukhan narrowly blocked Alexis Gomez’s long-range effort to initiate the action. Robi Hansda, a replacement, was given the opportunity to try his luck because the ball stayed in the East Bengal’s box. Lalremsanga Fanai’s acrobatic attempt was stopped on line by Anwar Ali after the ball struck the crossbar and landed pleasantly for him.
East Bengal FC killed the game in stoppage time as they marched on with a comforting goal at the brink of the full-time whistle when Provat Lakra’s provided a key touch and assisted for David Lalhlansanga, where the attacker got round of the ball at the centre of the box and deposited a first time finish into the bottom left corner with his left foot to round off a resounding outing for his team.
After the match, Oscar Bruzon highlighted at the press conference how happy he was with the substitutes and their ability to change the game with instant impact off the bench.
He stated that the star studded bench is the strength of the team and it has helped them create a great squad. Saul Crespo and David Lalhlansanga came on from the bench and scored, so this is something they lacked in the last weeks and couldn’t find the consistency.
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