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After a hat-trick of losses, East Bengal have now registered three wins on the trot in the I-League, with the latest one coming against Churchill Brothers FC. East Bengal defeated the Goan side by 2-1 at Tilak Maidan in Vasco on Thursday.
After a pulsating Derby last Sunday, there was little time to recover, but Alejandro Menendez’s side ticked all the boxes and produced a magnificent display on the field.
It was the home side who got the lead in the third minute of the match through former red and gold player Willis Plaza. East Bengal didn’t let the momentum slip from their hands and tried to look for an equaliser.
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It came in 35th-minute courtesy a fine goal from new recruit Jaime Santos, who scored his debut goal for the club.
After pressing hard in the second half, East Bengal got the lead thanks to a brilliantly taken free-kick from captain Lalrindika Ralte.
The win helped East Bengal to climb up to the second position with 15 points from eight matches, three behind league leaders Chennai City.
Churchill have lost their first home match and second successive overall to remain at the fifth position.
Let us analyse the three reasons behind East Bengal’s win:
#3 Defence keeps Churchill players away
East Bengal conceded in the second minute what was a howler not from the goalkeeper Rakshit Dagar but from everyone in defence.
Dawda Cessay crossed from the left flank between Samad Ali Mullick and Johnny Acosta and none of them tried to intercept it.
Borja Gomez too was caught off guard as Willis Plaza came from behind, received the ball and calmly slotted home. All of sudden Churchill took the lead and East Bengal were behind.
But credit goes to the defenders who learned from their mistakes and kept their shape well throughout the match.
East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez deployed Samad as a right-back instead of regular starter Lalram Chullova.
Samad was initially struggling to keep Cessay under control but found his rhythm soon. Later on, he worked so hard and never allowed an opponent to run down the line.
Borja and Acosta too kept their shape in the second half and amid incessant attacks from Churchill players, there was no danger afterward.
But concern remains with Dagar. East Bengal has already suffered casualties due to goalkeeping mistakes and one would only hope that nothing untoward happens further.
#2 Lalrindika Ralte produces a magnificent display
Ever since coming back to East Bengal, Lalrindika Ralte transformed himself so much. He became more responsible with the captain’s armband and controls the midfield like no other. He displayed all of his talents against Churchill and definitely stood out better than others.
Lalrindika tried to control the game right from the word go. After East Bengal conceded the goal, it was Lalrindika who was creating chances for Jobby Justin and Jaimes Santos, providing passes for them.
His first contribution for the game was in the 32nd minute when his inch-perfect corner fell on the feet of Santos, who unleashed a beautiful shot to equalise for East Bengal. So perfect was his shot that even Santos applauded him after scoring the goal.
On the 79th minute, Lalrindika finally got the reward for his efforts. A superbly taken free-kick went straight to the goal, leaving Churchill goalkeeper V. Baskaran bamboozled.
Initially, it looked like a cross-targeted for his teammates in the box, but as it was a direct free-kick, there was no confusion regarding the goal.
#1 Wonder strike from Santos
After his impressive in Kolkata Derby, East Bengal coach Alejandro Menendez handed Jaime Santos another start against Churchill Brothers.
He scored the much-needed equaliser to get his team back into the match. What a way it was to score the first goal for your new club!
During his younger days, Santos made a name for himself for scoring from distances. No one believed they could see something like this in just the second match of the Spaniard.
East Bengal were struggling to at that moment. They were creating chances but poor finishing made the job tougher. In came Santos.
The former Sporting Gijon player was standing well outside the box when Lalrindika took the corner, and before anyone could turn their head to follow the delivery, Santos’s scorcher went to the net.
It was a brilliant combination between the two and looks like a result from the hard work they put in practice.
Santos was quiet in the second half against Mohun Bagan, might be because of the fatigue. On Thursday, there was no discomfort as he was one of the most hard-working players on the field.
