East Bengal beat Neroca, keep title bid alive
KOLKATA: Mexican forward Enrique Esqueda scored a brace as East Bengal came back from a goal down to beat Neroca FC and keep alive their hopes of winning the I-League title, at the Yuva Bharati Krirangan here on Thursday.
The hosts got off to the worst start possible as Bhutanese forward Chencho Gyeltshen, on loan from Bengaluru FC, scored on his debut for the club to peg the hosts back. The visitors continued to trouble East Bengal with their pace and high pressing but failed to make the most of the chances that came their way.
East Bengal, on the other hand, grew into the game after their slow start and took control of the proceedings in the second half.
Their persistent raids on the Neroca half finally paid dividends midway through the half when Esqueda slotted home an aerial ball from Jaime Colado.
With the score level, the hosts continued to press and found the winner when Esqueda headed in a Samad Mallick cross.
With 28 points from 14 games, East Bengal trail leaders Real Kashmir by four points, with two games in hand over them. They are also two points behind Chennai City who have played 14 games as well.
ARROWS HOST CHENNAI
BHUBANESWAR: After a 2-1 win over defending champions Minerva Punjab, the Floyd Pinto-coached Indian Arrows will look to spoil Chennai City’s party when they host the title-chasing side at the Kalinga Stadium here on Friday.
In seventh spot with 16 points from as many games, the young Arrows side can consolidate its position with a win.
On the other hand, two points behind league leaders Real Kashmir, Chennai can reclaim the top spot with a win on Friday. Akbar Nawas’s side has played two games less than Kashmir and will go four points clear at the top if they win both their games in hand. With four of their next five games away from home, Chennai will hope to avoid any slip-up as they aim to win their first-ever top-flight title.
JAMSHEDPUR EYE WIN
JAMSHEDPUR: Jamshedpur FC will have to play out of their skin when they host Mumbai City FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Friday.
The race for a semi-final spot in the Indian Super League (ISL) has reached a critical stage and Jamshedpur know they have to stitch a winning run, starting with their clash against Mumbai. Jamshedpur are currently fifth on the table (20 points) and are three points off the fourth spot.
“In the last three matches, we lost 2-1 against ATK, had a draw against FC Goa and won against Delhi Dynamos. We have only conceded three goals in these games so I don’t think the defence is an issue. We should cut out those counter-attacks earlier, but I don’t think you can blame the defence for that,” said coach Cesar Ferrando, whose side has won only one of their last five matches.