3 Reasons why East Bengal defeated Bengaluru FC overcoming a one-goal deficit
East Bengal came back from a one-goal deficit to win 2-1 against an upbeat Bengaluru FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday evening. The visiting side put up a spirited display with their reserve team and were in the lead almost till the hour mark after Ajay Chhetri opened the scoring in the 18th minute.
Two strikes from super-sub Bidyasagar Singh steered them to a victory and also cemented their place in the semi-finals.
This will be a relief for East Bengal, especially after the shocking 0-1 defeat to George Telegraph in the Calcutta Football League. East Bengal will play Gokulam Kerala in the semi-final next week. Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC have been eliminated from the Durand Cup.
#3 Bengaluru FC's young brigade lacked experience
Bengaluru FC played with their reserves, and the team was overseen by Naushad Moussa, who is not well-known for his tactical prowess. Yet, the Blues never looked ordinary in front of the mighty East Bengal even for a minute.
Comprised of young Indian footballers, the team from Bengaluru gave a hard time to the 16-time champions. The players started with positive intent, built-up play well, and went for the kill when required. The hard work reaped results in the 18th minute when Ajay Chhetri tapped the ball to score the first goal.
Bengaluru FC played passing football and supplied through balls to the forwards. They created openings at regular intervals and kept East Bengal’s defence busy throughout. But they could not re-create something similar in the second half, and their finishing was not up to the mark or they could have scored at least another goal. The main deficiency of the squad was inexperience; the young guns need more games to mature as players.