East Bengal rally to hold Minerva, stay in race for title
HAVING AVOIDED A SECOND SUCCESSIVE LOSS FOLLOWING THE DERBY DEBACLE, EAST BENGAL MOVED TO 20 POINTS FROM 12 GAMES
KOLKATA: Brandon Vanlalremdika’s 88th minute goal kept alive this season’s battle for the I-League. It is still Minerva Punjab FC’s to lose but the point East Bengal got through that late strike ensured they stay in the race, if only just, with a 2-2 draw at Barasat stadium near here on Tuesday.
That result seemed difficult when East Bengal were trailing 0-2 through goals from Sukhdev Singh (20th) and Chencho Gyeltsen (33rd) and after Katsumi Yusa had fluffed a 50th minute penalty. The crowd was getting restive but Joby Justin calmed nerves somewhat with a 59th min reducer and the late leveller left both teams ruing what might have been.
“We are still in it,” said East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil. “One point from an away game is all right though it could well have been three,” said Minerva Punjab FC coach W Khogen Singh. After 11 rounds, Minerva Punjab FC, still undefeated in Kolkata this term, are on 26 points. Having avoided a second successive loss following the derby debacle on January 21, East Bengal moved to 20 points from 12 games to stay third.
Proof of how different the campaigns have been for the teams came in East Bengal making seven changes to the starting 11 that lost 0-2 to Mohun Bagan. The away team replaced only two players from the side that beat NEROCA FC 1-0.
Among those Jamil changed was goalie Luis Barreto. His replacement Ubaid CK denied Sukhdev Singh the first time but could do little when East Bengal defender Salam Ranjan Singh failed to clear his lines and Sukhdev Singh got another try on goal.
It was 2-0 through a Gyeltshen solo after East Bengal central defender Eduardo Ferreira and midfielder Armand Bazie failed to prevent Gagandeep Bali’s square pass from reaching the Bhutanese sniper. Gyletshen, 21, now has goals against Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in his first season in India. He is second in the race for the golden boot with six goals, one less than Mohun Bagan’s Dipanda Dicka.
Soon enough Ansumana Kromah, who joined East Bengal after Mohun Bagan released him, started warming up. Kromah almost found Dudu Omagbemi but with goalie Kiran Chemjong to beat, the East Bengal striker couldn’t make a connection.
NEROCA WIN
VASCO: NEROCA survived anxious moments in the second half before they halted Churchill Brothers’ unbeaten run in the new year with a solitary-goal win in the I-League on Tuesday.
NEROCA, who survived anxious moments in the second half, scored from a penalty through Felix Chidi in the 22 minute. The win take NEROCA to 24 points from 13 matches, two points behind leaders Minerva.