Barasat : A dismal start, an ugly first half but a flamboyant second half secures 3 vital points to Kingfisher East Bengal against a tenacious George Telegraph side ahead of the all important “proposed” Kolkata Derby in the Calcutta Football League today.
The first half was extremely poor in terms of the quality as the East Bengal side hardly troubled the George Telegraph custodian Sk.Moidul Islam. The only notable effort in the first half came from Jiten Murmu in the 39th minute as his outstanding effort needed an acrobatic save from the George goalkeeper to save the danger.
Though the second half depicted a rejuvenated Red & Gold brigade as they produced some incessant attacking football. In the 59th minute, Mehtab’s ineffable long pass created a great opportunity for Do Dong Hyun to give the much awaited lead to East Bengal, but the George goalkeeper showed a lot of courage to prevent that goal scoring opportunity. In the 69th minute, Mehtab’s accurate corner created another good opportunity for Dika to score which he missed narrowly.
The inclusion of Samad Ali Mullick on the right flank injected more venom in the East Bengal attacks. Though the illusive moment came from the left flank as Robert’s excellent cross in the 75th minute was intelligently deflected by Dika and Dong scored a very fine goal to give East Bengal the lead. The receiving from Dong was as delightful as the finish in the end.
In the 81st minute Dika’s drilling left footer got a deflection and went narrowly over the woodwork. The tides of attacks forced the George Telegraph side to play with 10 men inside the penalty area for a long spell. In the 83rd minute, Callum’s precision header from a Mehtab Hossain corner almost gave the second goal to East Bengal as it was tantalizingly close from the second post. The performance of the British defender was almost flawless today as he hardly put a foot wrong by an inspired performance. In the 87th minute, Rahul Bheke’s thumping header came off the crosspiece.
The British coach will be heading back to Australia later tonight for an urgent health check-up, after completing his first phase of contract. The second half performance without the key players busy for the national duties would certainly please Trevor Morgan. Do Dong Hyun didn’t do too much in the game, but the goal he scored ahead of the Kolkata derby would certainly boost his confidence to a world of good. The Korean too echoed that after the game as he said,”It’s always important if you score ahead of the big game and I’m looking forward to the derby.”
Seven victories out of the same number of games cements East Bengal’s place at the top of the league table, with 21 points. Now they have to wait and observe the activities of The IFA and arch rival Mohun Bagan for the next pedal for securing the record 7th CFL title on a row.
Man of The Match: Do Dong Hyun