Cleiton Silva-led East Bengal FC keep knockout hopes alive with hard-fought victory against Bengaluru FC
Firing their knockout aspirations and ending Bengaluru FC's hope, Carles Cuadrat's East Bengal FC rallied to a 2-1 victory over the Blues at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Sunday, April 7. While Sunil Chhetri neutralized Saul Crespo's first-half penalty after the break, Cleiton Silva, as many have come to expect, headed home the winner in the 73rd minute.
Reacting to Aleksandar Pantic's error in the Kerala clash, Cuadrat brought in Harmanjot Singh Khabra in the center-back spot alongside Hijazi Maher. Meanwhile, Victor Vazquez was brought into the midfield to add more creativity and allow Crespo to focus on his defensive duties.
Meanwhile, for the Blues, there was a midfield overload with all four of Suresh Singh, Keziah Veendorp, Lalremtluanga Fanai, and Javi Hernandez given the nod.
But despite their particular focus on the midfield, neither team could find the rhythm in the central areas in the initial exchanges. Bengaluru shifted to a long-ball approach to recycle possession and keep the East Bengal backline pinned. It almost worked wonders for the Gerard Zaragoza-coached outfit when Oliver Drost, with his towering frame, received the ball near the opposition box and held off a defender, before feeding it to Fanai. The 19-year-old midfielder lobbed it for Sivasakthi Narayan, whose effort was thwarted away by an agile Prabhsukhan Singh Gill in the 11th minute.
Seemingly, BFC were steadily growing in confidence but a schoolboy error from Fanai completely altered the momentum. The young midfielder, in a clumsy attempt to clear a corner, clattered into Naorem Mahesh Singh inside the penalty area and the referee was quick to point to the spot. From the spot-kick, Saul Crespo's panache and composure were overwhelming for Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, and the Spaniard rolled the ball into the net after sending the veteran keeper in the opposite direction.
By the 19th minute, the Blues were left trailing a tie that they looked in control of. The lead gave the Torchbearers the momentum to push ahead and a couple of chances fell their way before the drinks break. Souvik Chakraborty's miscued header from a Vazquez freekick and Cleiton Silva's clumsy touch from Naorem Mahesh Singh's low cross meant neither of those gilt-edge chances were converted.
Ringing flashbacks from their previous encounters, East Bengal went into a complete shell after failing to double their lead. Bengaluru utilized the opportunity to push forward and restore parity before the break. But the Hejazi-led opposition defense stuck to their guns and ended the half with a slender lead.
East Bengal FC's Cleiton Silva blocks Bengaluru FC's road to the ISL 2023-24 knockouts
With Bengaluru FC trailing, it was time for Zaragoza to introduce their ever-reliant skipper Sunil Chhetri. The hosts also made a tactical substitution with Sayan Banerjee coming on for PV Vishnu. Almost immediately the Blues' talisman created an impact when his hopeful cross struck the flailing arm of Khabra. Despite the EBFC protests the referee didn't hesitate in awarding the penalty in the 59th minute.
Chhetri thumped the ball past Prabhsukhan Gill from the spot and Salt Lake Stadium fell silent. An enraged Cuadrat rallied his men forward to extract a reaction and they did. A 73rd-minute cross from Nishu Kumar invited Gurpreet forward for a claim, however, the veteran shot-stopper mistimed his outing and Cleiton Silva perfectly positioned himself to nod it home. The Bengaluru heads in the dugout and on the pitch sank immediately.
The final exchanges were chaotic as Bengaluru threw the kitchen sink. But the resolute backline of East Bengal, which had been further steadied by substitutes Aleksandar Pantic and Lalchungnunga, kept the opposition at bay. Aman CK, on the other end, had an opportunity to double the lead when he dribbled past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. However, with the gaping goal ahead of him, the young forward stumbled and wasted the opportunity.
As the final whistle blew, the East Bengal fans roared in unison as their team momentarily jumped to the sixth spot and entered knockout contentions. Meanwhile, for Bengaluru, the defeat meant the end of their aspirations of making it through to the next round.