Punjab FC and Madih Talal's mastery end East Bengal FC's ISL 2023-24 playoff hopes
Relentless Medih Talal and Punjab FC blew over East Bengal FC 4-1 in a must-win encounter for the Red and Gold Brigade behind closed doors at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, New Delhi on Wednesday, April 10. A goal and two assists from Talal and Wilmar Jordan's clinical brace left the aspiring EBFC side overwhelmed.
For the Torchbearers, the equation was pretty straightforward - win and keep their playoff aspirations alive. Meanwhile, Punjab were already out of contention for the knockouts, but that meant, Staikos Vergetis' men took the pitch without an iota of fear.
The Shers' approach resembled their monicker as they roared through the initial exchanges despite East Bengal dominating the possession. They were patient with their build-up play, and Punjab struck whenever an opportunity arrived.
The first gilt-edge chance arrived in the 19th minute when Kipgen found Wilmar Jordan inside the opposition box with a delightful cutback. The Colombian forward buried the ball into the net without a second invitation.
Inside a closed stadium, with no cheers from the fans to cut through the tension, the Red and Gold Brigade wallowed in their misery as they fell behind in a must-win encounter.
But as Carles Cuadrat and men have highlighted throughout the 2023-24 campaign, they weren't willing to let go without a brawl. Sayan Banerjee made a blistering run from his half, dancing past a couple of defenders before whipping an Arjen Robben-esque left-footed curler from the edge of the box.
Within six minutes, the visitors had restored parity, but a point wasn't enough for their qualification hopes. While the Spanish tactician hoped to walk into the break with the scores level and galvanize his troops, Punjab piled on their misery.
Madih Talal, who has been rumored to join East Bengal next season, breezed past hapless opposition defenders and hammered home a thunderous effort from an acute angle. Kamaljit Singh's timid punch couldn't prevent the ball from landing inside the net.
Madih Talal ease past hapless East Bengal FC defense in second half
Ahead 2-1, Punjab were in the driver's seat and EBFC needed a response. Cuadrat threw Aman CK and Shyamal Besra into the mix to intensify their attacking intent.
But for Talal, the second half almost felt like a parting gift for the club that had introduced his magic to Indian football. In the 62nd minute, his inch-perfect cross was buried by Jordan, sinking East Bengal hearts right away.
The two-goal deficit soon became three, when Talal and Luka Majcen combined, as the former set up the Slovenian marksman inside the penalty area. Before being subbed out in the 85th minute, the Frenchman's relentless creativity pinned down the Torchbearers and strangulated their midfield.
Ultimately, without affecting the scoreline any further, East Bengal bowed out of the running for the knockout stages on the final matchday. They end the league stages on 24 points from 22 outings while Chennaiyin goes through with 27 points despite having played a match less.
East Bengal and Punjab are currently seventh and eighth in the standings, respectively and could dip lower as a few teams below them still have a game in hand.