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SC East Bengal lost 0-1 against Bengaluru FC in their final game of the 2021-22 Indian Super League (ISL) season on Saturday.
Both teams are out of the competition and this fixture seemed more like a formality to complete the 20-game tournament. However, it was a chance for both head coaches to try out a few new faces and take away some positives from the campaign.
Both SC East Bengal and Bengaluru FC looked sharp offensively. But the Red and Gold Brigade were plagued by their inability to be clinical in front of goal.
Their opposing numbers took advantage of the opportunity that landed them in front. Sunil Chhetri took advantage of a judgment error from debutant Ananta Tamang and slotted the ball past Suvam Sen.
Mario Rivera's side had a few openings on goal as well. However, misses from Antonio Perosevic and Marcelo Ribeiro kept them from changing the numbers on the scoreboard.
The Blues finished the campaign sixth in the table while the Bengal side finished bottom.
On that note, let's take a look at the things we learned from the game.
#4 SC East Bengal's lack of quality upfront
SC East Bengal have had a poor ISL 2021-22 season. Inability to be clinical in front of goal can be considered one of the prime reasons for this.
The match against Bengaluru FC witnessed SC East Bengal having more attempts (17) than the opposition (8). Antonio Perosevic was handed an opportunity in the 22nd minute after Subha Ghosh pressed Ajay Chhetri near the Blues defensive third. Perosevic had only one obstacle on his way to goal - Bengaluru FC's Lara Sharma. However, he Croatian was unable to get the ball past the goalkeeper and threw away a golden chance.
Perosevic had another chance before half-time. He took the ball to his right and allowed Roshan Naorem to close one lane. But the striker was unable to deliver yet again. His replacement Marcelo Ribeiro also had a chance in the second half but missed his mark.
#3 SC East Bengal's improper fielding of players
Be it Manolo Diaz or his successor Mario Rivera, SC East Bengal's coaches have made poor decisions when it comes to fielding a decent first XI. Some of the examples were visible on Saturday.
Subha Ghosh, who played very little part over the course of the season, was influential in pressing down opposition defenders. The chances that came the way of the Red and Gold Brigade were mostly due to Subha.
After Rivera's appointment, Hira Mondal, a natural left-back, shifted to the right. This minimized the player's skillset and prohibited him from bringing anything new to the game.
#2 Bengaluru FC's inability to control a game
Although Bengaluru FC have recorded eight wins this season, the side have never looked in control of the game. Unlike other top sides, they have always been edgy in their matches.
A lot of it can be pointed towards the fitness issues faced by the squad. But Marco Pezzaiuoli's side have never looked dominant.
The case was similar against the Red and Gold Brigade. Mario Rivera's side looked to be opening up Bengaluru FC's defense a greater number of times. The Blues were lucky that Antonio Perosevic and Co. weren't clinical upfront.
#1 Failure of SC East Bengal's latest recruit
Ananta Tamang was brought in to replace the outgoing Tomislav Mrcela. However, the timing of this recruitment worked against the team. The defender could not be utilized due to the quarantine rules placed by the ISL authorities for a major part of the second half of the season.
He made the starting line-up on Saturday but was responsible for an innumerable amount of blunders at the back. His decision-making led to the first goal conceded by SC East Bengal. Ananta was responsible for similar situations throughout the game.
