I-League 2017 - Robin Singh strike clinches win for East Bengal against Bengaluru FC
Bengaluru FC’s winning run in the Hero I-League came to an end today as they were beaten 2-1 at the Barasat Stadium in Kolkata in front of a 15,000-strong crowd.
CK Vineeth opened the scoring for the Blues in the 23rd minute only to swallow two blows from the home team in either half by Evan Bukenya (28′) and super-sub Robin Singh (80′).
Trevor Morgan opted to hand Amirov his first start in the crucial tie along with Plaza, who has already found the net for the Red & Golds.
The home team came very close to opening the scoring in the 20th minute when Nikhil Poojari broke in from the right flank, unleashing the ball to an onrushing Plaza but the striker was caught in the offside trap.
CK Vineeth, the Keralite, still basking in the glory of scoring his first hat-trick for the Blues in the last match, rattled the back of the net from a cutting-edge pass by Eugeneson Lyngdoh in the 23rd minute, leaving the 15,000-odd crowd spellbound.
Bengaluru FC’s joy was short lived as the Red & Gold army drew level five minutes later from a brilliantly worked corner, which was finally converted by the Ugandan defender Ivan Bukenya.
The game got heated up following a tackle by Mehtab Hossain on Sunil Chhetri, but the referee handled it with utmost proficiency to calm them down. He had to flash the yellow card to both of the veterans, but the game continued without any further disruption.
East Bengal almost got the edge over the Blues on 40 minutes, when Plaza caught out both the central defenders Juanan and Johnson, who were maintaining a high line, but eventually, his frail shot was collected comfortably by Amrinder Singh.
The away team also had their share of opportunities but Eugeneson Lyngdoh couldn’t bury home after Rehenesh mistimed a grab.
The teams went into the break level pegging.
Also read: I-League 2017: East Bengal 2-1 Bengaluru FC - 5 Talking Points
After the sojourn, Trevor Morgan played his ace, Robin Singh, withdrawing Ildar Amirov, to overpower the lanky Bengaluru FC defence.
At the stroke of the hour mark, Mehtab Hossain darted a flashy long ball for Nikhil Poojari, who was left unmarked by the defenders, but he jammed it at Amrinder, wasting a fine opportunity to put his team in the driver’s seat.
Kingfisher East Bengal wasted another chance as Poojari outsmarted the defenders but his second touch was too heavy and eventually, Amrinder grabbed it to avert the danger.
Bengaluru FC were living dangerously as Robin Singh, the veteran from many a battle between both the outfits, hit the crossbar from 30-yards out.
As the crowd got louder, the home team created a plethora of chances in the second half. In the following minute, Robin Singh outran Sena Ralte to deliver a long ball to Plaza who misjudged the height of the ball to let the opportunity slip.
Finally, the hosts got their noses in front when Robin Singh, running on his own, slotted it past a hapless Amrinder to send the crowd into a delirium.
Roca introduced Norales, and Daniel at the latter stages of the game, but the Red & Gold defenders kept them at bay. In the last minute of regulation time, Wedson went full pelt in his quest for sealing the tie but Amrinder’s finger-tip save left him lamenting another missed chance.
Plaza got another opportunity to get on the scoresheet in the last minute but the Haitian striker failed to make substantial contact.
With the win, Kingfisher East Bengal leapfrogged the reigning champions to move into second with 10 points from four matches, two points shy of arch-rivals Mohun Bagan.