East Bengal defeated Churchill Brothers at the Tilak Maidan in Goa 2-0 to move to the second spot in the I-League table.
The Red and Gold brigade won the match courtesy of goals from Thongkhosiem Haokip and Lalrindika Ralte. But the away team did not have a very good start to the match as Anwar Ali has to substituted within the first five minutes of the match due to an injury.
East Bengal took the lead in the 31st minute as new signing Haokip put the ball in into the net. Nikhil Poojary was instrumental in the build-up to the goal as his initial ball from the right-hand side was what created the goal.
EBl’s second goal came thanks to Ralte whose corner delivery somehow went into the goal. Churchill played most of the first half as second fiddle and did not impact the game much.
The second half was not much of a turnaround as East Bengal kept on attacking and the home side had to defend. The hosts did get a chance though when Gurwinder’s backpass fell short to reach Rehenesh but ultimately it did not materialize to a goal.
Churchill Brothers are still to get off the mark in the current season and next they travel cross country to Shillong to face Lajong FC. They will be hoping to win the match and start the ball rolling for this season.
On the other hand, this win takes East Bengal to the second spot in the Hero I-League and in the next match they face defending champions Bengaluru FC at home. This game is a high profile encounter and its outcome could heavily impact the shape of the League.
PS – Bengaluru FC managed to win their match against Mumbai FC and as a result, East Bengal slipped to the third spot in the table.
