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East Bengal piled more misery on Bengaluru FC as they overcame the hosts to beat them 1-0 at the Kanteerava Stadium on November 11, Friday. A second-half goal from Cleiton Silva silenced the home crowd.
Following a slow start to the game where both sides struggled to create chances, Roy Krishna blasted the ball over the crossbar from outside the penalty box after being set-up by Udanta Singh on a counter-attack in the 30th minute.
The remainder of the first half produced one more chance with Gurpreet covering his near post from a tame Cleiton Silva header from a corner. The hosts' hopes of leading the game diminished when Roy Krishna's shot failed to find the back of the net. The Fiji international ran behind the visitors' defense after a fantastic turn only to not keep the ball on target.
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The deadlock was finally broken -- thanks to a calamitous error from Suresh Wangjam. Mahesh Singh capitalized on a slip from his compatriot to tie-up Cleiton Silva, who tapped the ball in. The Brazilian had an opportunity to extend the lead to two goals within three minutes, but he skied the ball over after breaking through on the counter-attack.
We shall look at how players from both sides fared.
Bengaluru FC player ratings
Gurpreet Singh Sandhu - 7/10: Gurpreet was the busiest of the goalkeepers today. The custodian was forced into making numerous saves and kept the hosts in the game.
Namgyal Bhutia - 6/10: The young right-back did not have a great game defensively as he was caught out of position on numerous occasions before being taken off in the 64th minute.
Sandesh Jhingan - 6.5/10: The centre-back's brilliant tackle to win the ball back from Cleiton Silva proved to be decisive in the first half. However, he was often caught out during counter-attacks.
Aleksandar Jovanovic - 6/10: Jovanovic left Bengaluru FC's defense exposed by making attacking runs from the back. Cleiton Silva got the better of him, clearly.
Roshan Singh - 6.5/10: The left-back produced yet another energetic display by making attacking runs. Although he was caught out of position twice, he made up by sprinting back to cover the ground.
Bruno Ramires - 6.5/10: Bruno Ramires' display eradicated the opponent's attack, but his erratic passing helped East Bengal's course retain the ball. However, the Brazilian did his part.
Suresh Wangjam - 6/10: Although Suresh won numerous duels throughout the game, his failed duel will come back to haunt him until he gets an opportunity to bounce back. His failure to win the duel and slip
Udanta Singh - 6.5/10: Udanta Singh was the 'X-Factor' for Bengaluru through the counter-attack, but failed to make it count as he struggled for the final delivery. Despite an average game, the forward must have clocked 90 minutes rather than being substituted.
Javi Hernandez - 6/10: The attacking midfielder was anonymous for most of the game despite starting well. He completed numerous dribbles and tried to create chances during the opening 20 minutes.
Sunil Chhetri - 5.5/10: Sunil Chhetri was rarely involved in the attacking play. The Indian striker looked out of his old self as he struggled to create chances, score goals, and retain the ball. Simon Grayson must implement an expansive brand of football to get the best out of his forwards, including the skipper.
Roy Krishna - 6/10: Apart from a half-chance in the second half, Roy Krishna was mostly pressing and trying to win the ball back. He struggled to make things with the ball and kept on losing cheap possession.
Substitutes:
Prabir Das - 5.5/10: Prabir Das failed to make an impact after coming off the bench. He did not get into a natural attacking position.
Parag Shrivas - 6/10: Similar to Prabir, Parag was not at his best in the second half. His presence did not make any difference.
Leon Augustine - 6/10: He made Udanta's average display look better after coming on from the bench.
Danish Farooq - 7/10: Danish energized the midfield after coming on, but it was too little and too late.
Harmanpreet Singh - N/A: He came on during the closing stages of the game.
East Bengal player ratings:
Kamaljit Singh - 7.5/10: Kamaljit's ascendancy to command the box helped him procure a clean sheet. The shot-stopper proved his quality with his collection and punches as he was not forced to make a save throughout the night.
Ankit Mukherjee - 7/10: Ankit threw his body on the line to make a heroic interception in the first half. His defensive solidity and concentration also helped the visitors in gaining a clean sheet.
Chungnunga Lal - 7/10: It is safe to say that Chungnunga has formed a formidable partnership with Ivan Gonzalez at the back. The centre-back looked confident and made clearances to put an end to the hosts' attack.
Ivan Gonzalez - 9/10: Stephen Constantine will be proud of this resilient display from his star defender Ivan Gonzalez after struggling for form early on in the season. He didn't give a breather to Roy Krishna and broke many Bengaluru FC attacks with ease.
Jerry Lalrinzuala - 7/10: Jerry looked lively through the left wing. He was at the end of a few tactical fouls and was lucky not to go into the referee's card book.
Charalambos Kyriakou - 8/10: Perhaps the best player by some distance this season, Kyriakou's effort with and without the ball has been a level above his teammates. The midfielder was instrumental in winning back deliveries and retaining the ball.
Jordan O'Doherty - 6.5/10: Another solid outing for Jordan, who was forced to limp off the field with an injury in the second half. His tireless running put an end to countless Bengaluru FC attacks.
Mahesh Singh - 8/10: Mahesh Singh's courageous display aided in an assist. The Indian winger robbed of possession by Suresh Singh to set Cleiton Silva up for the match-winner.
VP. Suhair - 6/10: VP Suhair made more defensive contributions than attacking contributions. He was winning possession back in the right wing and kept supplying the front two.
Semboi Haokip - 6/10: Semboi did not look sharp with his passing and creativity. He struggled to keep hold of the ball and did not complement well with Cleiton Silva.
Cleiton Silva - 9/10: Former Bengaluru FC had a chance to stun the home crowd, but failed to do so with a tame header in the first half. However, he did not leave his shooting boots back in Kolkata when he found the back of the net in the second half. The Skipper had the chance to put the game to bed through a counter-attack, but his delicious dink failed to find the target.
Substitutes:
Alex Lima - 7.5/10: The midfielder's impact off the bench was seen. He slowed the game down and focussed on protecting the lead.
Himanshu Jangra - 7/10: Himanshu Jangra forced Bengaluru FC defenders to commit a mistake. However, he failed to capitalize on that chance.
