I-League 2017 - DSK Shivajians 1-2 East Bengal - 5 Talking Points
East Bengal registered their first win of the I-League after a sublime Willis Plaza finish in the 80th-minute winner sealed the deal for them. Earlier, the Bengal giants had taken the lead through a Wedson Anselme penalty, but Gouramangi Singh equalised for DSK Shivajians 20 minutes into the second half.
The Bengal giants dominated the match for large intervals but lacked precision in the final third time and again.
The Balewadi Stadium in Pune was the venue for this match, and Trevor James Morgan will be happy that his side got all three points on the road against a determined opposition. Dave Rogers had set up a tactically disciplined team, who were happy to defend deep and counter.
The win sees East Bengal climb to the fourth spot on the table with 4 points, just behind Bengaluru FC , Mohun Bagan and Mumbai FC who all have 6 points from 2 games. DSK remain rooted at the 9th position , having failed to garner a point from either of their matches.
Here are 5 things we learnt from the game:
#1 Wedson and Plaza can be a deadly combination
Wedson and Plaza won the game for the away side, and if this match was anything to go by, they will be deciding many more games this season. The Haitian did not make a mark in the first match against Aizawl FC, probably because he was unfit and had not trained with the squad enough.
However, yesterday he started off in the No. 10 position, and underlined his class, as he orchestrated almost every attack the Bengal side manufactured. He converted a penalty in the 13th minute after he was subjected to a rash challenge inside the box.
Plaza, who was brought on late in the last game, started this one and impressed one and all with his ball control and speed, and deservedly scored the winning goal. His movement behind the defence was a treat to watch, and there is a good chance that in them, East Bengal may finally have found the replacements for Penn Orji and Tolgay Ozbay.