I-League: Round 10 Review – East Bengal claim bragging rights
Overview
Four of the six matches in round ten ended in a stalemate with just eight goals being scored but this matchday also saw two of the biggest turnouts of the season as more than 20,000 attended the I-League’s first ever Shillong derby while the 306th edition of the big Kolkata derby was witnessed by a crowd of more than 80,000.
The spoils were shared in the Shillong derby as Lajong equalised in the second half after falling behind in the first period to extend Rangdajied United’s winless streak. The newly-promoted club were boosted by the presence of four IMG-Reliance loanees – Subrata Pal, Gouramangi Singh, Tomba Singh and Manandeep Singh. The inclusion of those India international made Rangdajied a stronger unit but they couldn’t hold on to the lead that was given to them in the first half by Japanese Yohei Iwasaki.
Rangdajied are not the only club without a win this season of course as defending champions Churchill Brothers once again failed to collect maximum points at the weekend. The Red Machines were held to a goalless draw by Mohammedan Sporting in a drab encounter and Subhash Bhowmick’s side are now 14 points off the top.
Salgaocar continue to lead the table after playing out a 1-1 draw with second placed Pune FC, who are only a point behind but crucially have a game in hand. That result opened the door for Bengaluru FC to go second but they failed to score for the first time at home in a 0-0 stalemate with Sporting Clube.
United SC and East Bengal were the only two sides who won on this matchday with the former winning 2-1 away at Dempo while the red-and-gold brigade claimed the bragging rights with a narrow 1-0 win over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan to hand new coach Armando Colaco a dream start.
Results
Salgaocar 1-1 Pune FC; Shillong Lajong 1-1 Rangdajied United; Mohammedan Sporting 0-0 Churchill Brothers; Bengaluru FC 0-0 Sporting Clube; Dempo 1-2 United SC; Mohun Bagan 0-1 East Bengal
Game of the round
Dempo 1-2 United SC
Besides the excitement surrounding the two derbies, round ten turned out to be one of the dullest matchdays of the season but this game in Goa produced some entertainment. The coaches of both Dempo and United SC have an attacking philosophy so this clash had end-to-end action with chances at both ends throughout the match.
Dempo were quite wasteful in the first half with Beto, Jeje Lalpekhlua and Alwyn George all guilty of some poor finishing. United SC at times had to put in last ditch challenges but had opportunities themselves with Eric Brown and CK Vineeth going close.
United SC’s former Dempo star Ranti Martins had a quiet outing but it didn’t matter as Liberian Brown bagged a second half brace. The former ONGC man put the purple shirts in front with a scorching freekick from 30 yards and then a few minutes later, Brown doubled his side’s advantage by capitalising on a mistake from Dempo’s Japanese centre-back Shinnosuke Honda.
At 2-0, Dempo had a mountain to climb but they pulled one back from a Beto corner to ensure an exciting final half hour. Dempo coach Arthur Papas introduced forwards Billy Mehmet and Holicharan Narzary in search of the equaliser but United SC keeper Ishant Debnath made a couple of vital saves to preserve his side’s lead.
United SC also had opportunities to kill the game off with Dempo custodian Subhashish Roychowdhury doing brilliantly to deny Brown and Ranti late on. Eelco Schattorie’s side held on eventually to register their first away win of the season and that result moved them up to fourth in the table. Meanwhile Dempo suffered their third defeat and are now eight points behind leaders Salgaocar.
Result of the round
Mohun Bagan 0-1 East Bengal
There can only be one choice in this category when the big Kolkata derby produces a winner. Overall the game, like most derbies tend to, wasn’t the most pleasing on the eye but it was a great tactical battle between two of the best coaches in I-League history and eventually decided by a moment of magic from one of India’s best young players, Lalrindka Ralte.
Although East Bengal were the favourites on paper, it was Mohun Bagan who came into this game with some form on their side as they were unbeaten in four I-League matches and in Bencherifa had a coach who is not new to this historic rivalry. On the other hand, it was Armando’s debut as East Bengal coach and despite having won five I-League titles at Dempo the 60-year-old is not used to pressure at all.
The result could have easily gone the other way as Mohun Bagan led by Odafa Okolie, who made his first start in the I-League, created the better chances and limited a highly talented East Bengal attack to very few clear cut chances. But some poor finishing from the Mohun Bagan forwards and good keeping by East Bengal custodian Abhijit Mondal kept the score at 0-0 and then in the second half, almost out of nothing, Lalrindika scored with a world class left-footed strike from 30 yards.
Barring the goal, East Bengal only created one genuine chance all game but the fact that they won without playing well shows their title credentials and this result will ease the pressure on Armando and make him an instant hit with the East Bengal faithful. The red-and-gold brigade have plenty of hard work ahead but this result could turn out to be the springboard for a consistent run.
Despite the defeat, Mohun Bagan have plenty of positives to take from the game but the pressure on Odafa will increase as the Nigerian is always expected to deliver because of his expensive price tag and for the last 18 months for one reason or the other, the club captain hasn’t lived up to the expectations. Coach Karim Bencherifa too has his work cut out as he is still winless in the derby in his second spell and is expected to do wonders with an inexperienced squad.
Best Players
Foreigner – Eric Brown (United SC)
On paper, United SC’s Liberian attacker might be in the shadow of Ranti but the former ONGC player has been the Kolkata club’s most consistent foreigner this season. Brown netted a match winning double to take his tally to five and is thus the club’s top scorer so far in this campaign.
Indian – Lalrindika Ralte (East Bengal)
The India international enhanced his reputation with a headline making strike against Mohun Bagan. Lalrindika still has plenty of areas to improve on but already at the age of 21 he has established himself as one of the best matchwinners in Indian football.
Controversy
There was always going to be some crowd trouble in this matchday because of the two derbies but overall the organisation of the two matches went better than expected. The Shillong derby went ahead without any issues but the big Kolkata derby did see plenty of fire crackers being burst despite the best efforts of home team Mohun Bagan. It remains to be seen whether any fine is imposed on the Mariners.
Referee Pratap Singh officiated the Kolkata derby and didn’t do much wrong besides a surprise decision to book East Bengal’s Ryuji Sueoka for diving although clearly he was fouled by Rowilson Rodrigues. There was some nuisance in the stands during the Mohammedan Sporting – Churchill Brothers game with the home fans throwing some missiles behind the Churchill Brothers goal and also abusing their technical director Subhash Bhowmick.
The Table
| Team | Played | Won | Drawn | Lost | Points | GD |
| Salgaocar | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 18 | +8 |
| Pune FC | 8 | 5 | 2 | 1 | 17 | +5 |
| Bengaluru FC | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 | +4 |
| United SC | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 | +3 |
| Sporting Clube | 9 | 4 | 3 | 2 | 15 | +3 |
| Shillong Lajong | 10 | 3 | 5 | 2 | 14 | 0 |
| Mohammedan Sporting | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 11 | -1 |
| East Bengal | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | +4 |
| Mohun Bagan | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -2 |
| Dempo | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 10 | -3 |
| Mumbai FC | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | -3 |
| Churchill Brothers | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | -6 |
| Rangdajied United | 9 | 0 | 4 | 5 | 4 | -12 |