FC Goa 1 - 2 SC East Bengal - 4 things we learned
SC East Bengal secured their first victory of the ISL 2021-22 season, defeating FC Goa 2-1 at the Bambolim Stadium in Goa.
It was a game between ninth-placed FC Goa and eleventh placed SC East Bengal. SC East Bengal came into the game looking for their first win of the season. On the other hand, FC Goa needed the win to move out of the bottom half of the table.
The match started with both ISL teams trying to get the early goal.
Naorem Mahesh Singh gave SC East Bengal the lead in the ninth minute when he made use of a mishap between Albert Noguera and Edu Bedia.
Albert Noguera gave the Gaurs the equalizer in the 37th minute from a Jorge Ortiz pass.
Naorem Mahesh Singh scored another goal in the 42nd minute to give SC East Bengal the lead.
The scoreboard at halftime read 2-1 in favor of SC East Bengal.
The second half saw FC Goa trying to get the equalizer while SC East Bengal kept defending the lead. SC East Bengal had few chances of their own to increase their lead but failed to do so.
SC East Bengal managed to secure their first victory of the season and move up to tenth in the points table.
A night to remember for @sc_eastbengal as they secure their first win of the season. Here’s a quick recap of everything that went down ⏪
#FCGSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball #ISLRecap https://t.co/HqH4NEmzdJ
On that note, let us take a look at four things we learned.
#4 Mario Rivera starts life in the ISL with a win
The last time Mario Rivera took charge of East Bengal, they were having issues of their own. Nevertheless, he came and managed to turn the season around for them.
Today was Mario Rivera's first game in charge of SC East Bengal in the ISL. It was also his first game as head coach in the Indian Super League. Of course, the situations aren't the same compared to the last time he was East Bengal's coach, but the team was in a puddle of mud nevertheless.
He managed to get the team to secure its first victory of the season with just minimum preparations.
The way he managed to get the team in shape and retain the shape throughout the ninety minutes is praiseworthy.
The win will add a massive mental boost to the SC East Bengal squad and help Mario prepare for future games with a better mindset.
Catch the latest ISL live score here on Sportskeeda!
#3 FC Goa have issues in defense
Today, FC Goa started with an all-Indian backline with Leander D' Cunha, Anwar Ali and Aiban Dohling playing as the three center backs. The trio lack experience in the ISL. The lack of experience showed as they looked shaky whenever SC East Bengal moved forward.
Both of the goals SC East Bengal scored were due to mishaps in defense. SC East Bengal's first goal was due to a misunderstanding between Edu Bedia and Albert Noguera.
The second was due to a lackluster pass from Anwar Ali, which fell to Mahesh Singh, who made no mistake in scoring his second goal of the night.
FC Goa need to get their Indian backline in shape or continue to suffer.
#2 Naorem Mahesh Singh is the Man of the Match today
Naorem Mahesh Singh has always been projected as one of the hottest prospects in Indian football. His versatility in the attack has been his USP. He made his ISL debut this season with SC East Bengal. Today he managed to score his first goal in the ISL. However, he wasn't content with one, so he managed to score a brace and secure the victory for SC East Bengal.
His work rate today was superb. The way he pressed the FC Goa defenders and made space for himself was top quality.
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.@NaoremMahesh picks up the Hero of the Match award after his brace put a stop to the Red & Golds’ 15-game winless run! 💪🏼💥
#FCGSCEB #HeroISL #LetsFootball | @sc_eastbengal https://t.co/hbBMsr6I4G
His performance today will be a big positive for SC East Bengal and Mario Rivera.
#1 SC East Bengal finally won a game in the ISL after 347 days
The last time SC East Bengal won a game in the ISL was on 7th February 2021 against Jamshedpur FC. It's been 347 days and 16 games since SC East Bengal won a game in the ISL. It was the most prolonged period any team had gone without a victory.
This season the team had some miserable performances and didn't manage to win a single game before today. The previous coach Manolo Diaz could not get the team in any shape, and it showed in the team's performance.
Renedy Singh, the interim manager for a few games, showcased a much better performance than the ex-Real Madrid Castilla coach.
Mario Rivera showed today that this SC East Bengal could win games even with just two foreigners on the pitch.
This victory will give the whole squad a massive boost in their upcoming games.