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SC East Bengal came back from a tough position to earn a point against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 on Wednesday. The match ended all square after both ISL teams scored two goals each.
With the draw, SC East Bengal have now moved up a spot in the ISL table, sending NorthEast United FC to the bottom. They now have 10 points from 15 matches, with just one win to their name.
On the other hand, Chennaiyin FC sit sixth in the table with 19 points from 14 matches. Bozidar Bandovic's men have had an inconsistent season and have not been able to emulate good performances for a long stretch. They will be disappointed after dropping two important points against a weak SC East Bengal side at this stage of the league.
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On that note, let's take a look at the top four things from the match:
Hnamte equalises for SC East Bengal in stoppage-time
As the match entered stoppage time, it seemed that the Marina Machans had managed to keep SC East Bengal at bay. However, SC East Bengal youngster Lalrinliana Hnamte had other plans.
In the 90+1st minute, Angousana Wahengbam sent in a perfect cross from a corner kick. Hnamte's diving effort reaped the rewards as his header sent the ball to the top of the goal. This was the midfielder's first goal in the ISL and his energetic celebration after the goal described his emotions perfectly.
Ninthoinganba Meetei scores his first ISL goal
Ninthoinganba Meetei rose to prominence following his selection in the FIFA U17 World Cup squad for India and his performance for Indian Arrows in the I-League. He was roped in by NorthEast United FC prior to the 2019-20 season and stayed with the Highlanders for two seasons before moving to Chennaiyin FC.
Even after playing close to 1400 minutes across 31 matches in the ISL, Ninthoi was yet to register a single goal or assist. He made amends against SC East Bengal as he scored a beautiful goal to extend the lead for Chennaiyin FC in the first half. His powerful strike left Arindam Bhattacharya with no chance of stopping the shot as the ball hit the back of the net.
Check out the ISL fixture here.
Poor performance hurts Chennaiyin FC's top four push
Chennaiyin FC have managed to stay in the hunt for a place in the top four even after inconsistent results. The lack of goal-scoring has hurt the Marina Machans and the same occurred in the game against East Bengal.
The first goal for them came through an own goal by Hira Mondal while Ninthoi scored the second. Apart from the second goal, there were no shots on target for Bozidar Bandovic's men. Meanwhile, SC East Bengal had a mammoth 26 shots in the game.
With the competition getting tougher and closer after every passing game, the Men in Blue cannot afford to drop points against weaker teams. The result could go on to hurt Chennaiyin FC's quest for the top four as the season draws to an end.
Darren Sidoel scores a stunning free-kick
In the 61st minute of the match, Darren Sidoel pulled one goal back for the Red and Golds through an excellent free-kick.
Standing a few yards away from the opposition box, the Dutchman launched a powerful strike which went straight into the goal. Chennaiyin FC's custodian Debjit Majumder could not save the attempt as Sidoel opened the scoring for his team. The goal inspired a comeback from SC East Bengal, who went on to salvage a point from the match.
