I-League 2017: East Bengal vs Gokulam Kerala FC, Talking Points
East Bengal went to the top of the I-League with a narrow 1-0 win over new boys Gokulam Kerala FC at home. It wasn't the most compelling performance from Khalid Jamil's side, but they managed to bag the three points in the end as visitors Kerala put up a spirited performance and made things difficult for the hosts.
Here's what stood out from the game:
Kerala shackle Yusa and Al Amnah
It looked like the visitors had done their homework before coming here. Yes, a lot of smaller teams come for a point in such away games, but Kerala seemingly had some set plans that allowed them to actually enjoy the better of the first half.
Mahmoud Al Amnah has been one of East Bengal's chief creators thus far and Katsumi Yusa has also been instrumental. Kerala made sure to cut off the supply line from both of these players. Every time either of them got the ball, Kerala always had two men on them to make sure they didn't get any sort of room to operate and bring their forwards into play.
It worked wonders too until the goal as the effort managed to prevent East Bengal from gaining any rhythm and fashioning clear-cut chances.