I League 2018/19: 3 reasons why Mohun Bagan lost to East Bengal
East Bengal edged past arch-rivals Mohun Bagan 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening. The match was worth watching and had every element in it. The near 65,000 spectators present at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening enjoyed the intense competition, but in the end, it was the East Bengal fans that returned home with smiling faces.
Mohun Bagan would be disappointed that a few decisions by the referee went against them. But that doesn’t change the fact that they lost the match because of their own mistakes. With this loss, Shankarlal Chakraborty’s men find them in a very difficult position in the context of the I-League
Let us have a look at the 3 reasons why Mohun Bagan lost to East Bengal:
#3 Defending blunders
In the first quarter, Mohun Bagan had the upper hand after Azharuddin Mallik scored the opening goal in the 13th minute. Shankarlal’s men could have easily cashed on the advantage and swung the game in their favour. But the lead did not last for 5 minutes, it was disastrous defending from Mohun Bagan that paved way for the equaliser.
With three players in the last line of defence, Lalchawmkima and Abhishek Ambekar allowed a smart run by Lalrindika Ralte penetrate between them. An inch-perfect through ball by Jobby Justin found Laldanmawia’s feet, who placed the ball inside the target.
Things could have been under control but Kingsley and Kim Kima were at fault once again in the 44th minute. Justin was moving freely in the 6-yard box, a loose header from Laldanmawia Ralte was floating in the air.
With Kingsley and Kim Kima failing to clear away the ball, Jobby produced a side-volley to double the lead for the ‘red and gold’ brigade and give them the edge.
If that was not enough, the third goal sealed the deal for East Bengal in the 60th minute of the match. Soon after Bagan’s defender Kingsley was shown the marching orders, Adamawa Ralte converted his second after an initial save by Bagan shot stopper Shankar Roy.
Similar to the other previous incidents, the green and maroon brigade failed to clear the ball after Shankar pushed it away. Ralte was smart enough to slot it home from a few metres away from the target.