“It’s very special for me" - Former East Bengal player Juan Mera on return to the Salt Lake Stadium with current club Punjab FC

Punjab FC managed to keep their defensive lines strong till the very end to keep a clean sheet against giants East Bengal and draw 0-0 in a clash in the Indian Super League at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday.

The newly-promoted Punjab FC, who are yet to get their first win of the season, are ranked at the eleventh position of the league table at the moment with five points to their name, two more than Hyderabad FC, who bring up the rear.

The Shers have drawn five games that they have played so far, losing the other four. On Saturday, they did extremely well to prevent the East Bengal attackers from putting balls in their net.

Attacking midfielder Juan Mera, who was responsible for most of Punjab's attempts on the East Bengal goal, spoke to IndianSuperLeague.com about what it meant to him to play against his former club.

“It’s very special for me. East Bengal FC was my first team here in India, and I have many special memories with this team,” he said.

“For me, it was a special day, a special match. We have had challenges getting the first win of the league. But we are happy with our performance. We have to keep it going and try to win the next match,” the Spaniard added.

Punjab FC left searching for their first win

This was the first time in the ISL that Mera, who is a former East Bengal player and a fan favorite, stepped out to play against his ex-side.

Mera's creativity in the Punjab attacking midfield left the Red and Gold Brigade's defenders sweating on more than one occasion.

The Gijon-born player was responsible for feeding balls to Punjab's target man Luka Macjen. The Shers got ahead on quite a few occasions but were rather unfortunate to not score a goal and get their first win of the season.

It would have been extremely special for the newest entrants into the ISL to bag their debut win at the historic Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday, but it was not to be.

East Bengal go up to the sixth position of the ISL table, having amassed nine points inside their kitty at the moment.