I-League: Five points clear, four games to go – title is Churchill’s to lose

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

Just before the I-League resumed after a lengthy break last month, I had picked out five key fixtures in the title race. Two of them have been played already and it has left Churchill Brothers in the driving seat. The first was of those fixtures saw East Bengal throw away a two-goal lead against Prayag United last week in Kalyani with Gurpreet Sandhu’s howler being the biggest talking point.

The second one took place on Friday, with another goalkeeping mistake proving to be the difference as Churchill Brothers defeated Pune 2-1 at the newly-renovated Tilak Maidan in Vasco, Goa. Pune’s Shahinlal Meloly was guilty of presenting possession to Churchill’s Henri Antchouet, with the Gabonese finding Bineesh Balan, who finished from a tight angle to give the hosts the lead.

Until then, the match was an even contest with Pune having wasted the best chance, and although India captain Sunil Chhetri scored brilliantly to double Churchill’s lead, the Red Lizards will rue Shahinlal’s error as Boima Karpeh’s stoppage-time goal only proved to be a consolation strike.

Pune are now surely out of contention, as they are ten points behind Churchill Brothers, so even the game in hand won’t make much of a difference. The title is very much Churchill’s to lose now, as they are five points clear of second-placed East Bengal, with each side having four more matches, even though the Goan club have the more difficult run-in.

But East Bengal have failed to make the most of their easier fixture schedule, having also dropped points against Air India at home by conceding a late equaliser. There have been weeks when both Churchill Brothers and East Bengal have been wasteful and failed to take the initiative. And that is why the run-in is not much of an advantage for the red-and-gold brigade, as they have kept dropping crucial points.

Friday’s clash against Pune FC was a massive test for Churchill Brothers, who were without Beto, while seven of their starting eleven were also involved in Tuesday’s AFC Cup match against Singapore’s Warriors FC, which kicked off at 3pm in Pune.

Technical director Subhash Bhowmick started with three strikers but the team lacked balance and could have easily conceded in the first half. But the ASEAN Cup winning coach was quick to realise his mistake at halftime, and brought on Bineesh Balan, whose presence on the left side made Churchill a much more balanced unit.

The ASEAN Cup winning coach made the necessary change at halftime; Photo Credit: AIFF Media

It was Balan who got the opener, but the real difference between the sides was the additional firepower of Churchill, with Antchouet and Chhetri in particular causing panic in the Pune FC backline. With better finishing, Churchill could have easily gone three or four up and avoided a nervy finish. While that will be a concern for Bhowmick, he will be confident of beating local rivals Dempo and Mohun Bagan home and away with the attacking options at his disposal.

East Bengal’s only remaining difficult fixture is an away match against Dempo at the start of May while their other three games are home ties against Sporting Clube, United Sikkim and Shillong Lajong. Despite having the strength in depth in their squad, fatigue has been a problem for the Kolkata club in recent weeks as they have already played 49 matches this season. So, even many East Bengal supporters won’t have confidence in their side to record maximum points in the final four matches.

It’s certainly advantage Churchill, who can afford to lose one game and maybe even draw another as well, because their goal difference is +29 compared to East Bengal’s +21.

East Bengal’s fate is ironically in the hands of their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan now, while AFC Cup fixtures could also be a factor, but barring a major dip in form, Churchill Brothers should lift their second I-League crown in May.