31.12.2009, Guwahati: Vengeance was East
Bengal’s as the red and gold brigade on Thursday extracted sweet revenge
for their 3-5 I-League loss to Mohun Bagan, showing their archrivals
the door in the second semi-final of the Federation Cup with a 2-0
victory at the Nehru Stadium.
The Calcutta giants take on Lajong FC of Shillong in the final on Sunday.
Both goals came in the second session as East Bengal made Bagan pay for a rather off-colour show, especially by their forwards.
The script might have played out differently had Jose Ramirez Barreto converted a 33rd minute penalty.
Referee Shaji Kurian had awarded Bagan the
spot kick for a Rahim Nabi tackle on Ishfaq Ahmed inside the penalty
area but Bagan failed to make that count as Barreto shot wide.
The match started with Bagan looking to attack right from the word go.
They maintained the pressure on the
opponents throughout the first half when they created several openings
only to be let down by the profligacy of their strikers.
Indeed, Barreto appeared lethargic every time he got the ball.
Besides, Japanese recruit Ryuji Sueoka,
too, squandered two easy opportunities. In the 20th minute, Sueoka’s
header off a Barreto ball from inside the box went straight to custodian
Abhra Mondal.
He was also found wanting in a one-on-one with the goalie in the 22nd minute.
Edeh Chidi, the Nigerian, too, failed to make his presence felt.
East Bengal came back strongly in the second session to turn the tables on their opponents.
They produced better moves, and at quick intervals, to force Bagan on to the backfoot.
The raids soon yielded the desired result
as Ghanaian recruit Yusif Yakubu used his left foot to push in a corner
by Sanju Pradhan that was headed on by Subhash Singh.
Having conceded the goal, Bagan went all
out for the equaliser and soon had East Bengal scampering to defend
their lead from repeated attempts by the Bagan raiders.
As Bagan pushed more bodies forward, East Bengal found the space they needed to launch a few counter-attacks. Bhaichung Bhutia was introduced in the 78th and as Subhash Singh made way for the star striker, the 12,000-strong crowd made it clear who their favourite was.
As Bagan pushed more bodies forward, East Bengal found the space they needed to launch a few counter-attacks. Bhaichung Bhutia was introduced in the 78th and as Subhash Singh made way for the star striker, the 12,000-strong crowd made it clear who their favourite was.
Bhaichung’s presence soon began to make a
difference and he became the provider for the 89th minute goal by Mehtab
Hussain who made no mistake in anticipating a pass from the India
captain to hit home.
Bagan further intensified their attacks at
the fag end but could hardly manage the desired finishing touch as
almost all the East Bengal players massed in front of the goal.
Teams
East Bengal coach Phillipe de Ridder was not happy with the 2-0 scoreline over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan as they made it to the title round of the Federation Cup.
The coach infact made it clear that one shouldn’t look at this victory as a revenge for his team’s 3-5 loss against Bagan during the first leg clash of the I-League.
“I am happy for my boys, the fans and all who are associated with our club. But, it is certainly not a revenge. That is yet to come.
“It will be another day which will come soon if our boys keep up the good show,” De Ridder said after the match.
When asked about the turning point, he was quick to point out the missed penalty by Jose Barreto.
“The penalty miss by (Jose) Barreto was certainly the turning point but our boys also played a far better game today,” the Belgian said.
What was the strategy that his boys followed in the second half when they looked a completely different side.
“Secrets are not to be revealed. But, as far as our strategy is concerned, I asked my boys not to give any free space to the opponents which our boys executed exactly.”
An upset Bagan coach Karim Bencharifa stated that it was simply not Bagan’s day. The Moroccan also reasoned injuries to his key players affecting the side’s chances.
“ Most of them are yet to recover properly. Credit to East Bengal for defending well,” he concluded.
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East Bengal: Abhra Mondal, Nirmal
Chetri, Mehrajuddin Wadoo, Uga Okpara, Saumik Dey, Syed Rahim Nabi,
Sanju Pradhan, Mehtab Hussain, Alvito D’Cunha (Budiram Tudu, 23’),
Subhash Singh (Bhaichung Bhutia, 78’), Yusif Yakubu (B. Beokhekhei,
90+3’).
Mohun Bagan: Sangram Mukherjee,
Biswajit Saha, Deepak Mondal (Sagram Mandi, 33’), Sheikh Azim, Surkumar
Singh, L. James Singh, Ryuji Sueoka, Rakesh Masih (Micky Fernandes, 51’,
Souvik Chakraborty, 84’), Edeh Chidi, Jose Ramirez Barreto, Ishfaq
Ahmed.
Referee: Shaji Kurien
Here are the match videos :
Source : http://www.telegraphindia.com/1100101/jsp/sports/story_11931004.jsp
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