That's it for today. Thanks for tuning in!
With this loss, East Bengal stays at sixth in the 2019-20 I-League points table with 11 points from nine matches and the team is clearly struggling now.
Indian Arrows, on the other hand, stays at the bottom with seven points from the same number of games. Mohun Bagan is sitting comfortably on top of the table with 23 points from 10 outings.
THE MATCH IS DONE AND DUSTED!!!
90+5' RED CARD!!!! Second yellow card for Espada and he's sent off. That was a dangerous high boot and the EB fans are booing Espada on his way out and the Sapnish forward is giving it back to them. EB has hit rock bottom here.
90+3' INJURY!!! Indian Arrows' Ayush Adhikari is being stretchered out here. Telem Singh is brought on for the injured player
90' Five minutes of stoppage time to be added on!!! Indian Arrows has parked the bus. Nine players, including the goalkeeper, are guarding the goal. EB players look absolutely frustrated and they should be.
86' SUBSTITUTION!!! The youngest goalscorer in I-League history - Rohit Danu (at 16 years and five months) - comes in for Moirangthem Singh.
85' WHAT A MISS!!!!! KROMAH MISSES THE EASIEST CHANCE OF THE GAME!! Marti Crespi with a shot from long and the rebound fell to Kromah who had no one blocking him and an open goal to aim at but the EB forward messes it up once again. It's been that sort of day for the Kolkata giant.
82' FINAL CHANGE FOR EB!!! P C Rohlupuia takes his captain Lalrindika Ralte's place in the field. Will East Bengal find the equaliser? Doesn't seem so but you never know.
81' SAVE!!! Jongte denies Espada once again with a good block. Samad Mallick came up with an amazing cross to find Espada in the middle but his header doesn't result in a goal.
78' SHOT!!! Kromah with a brilliant turn and release. However, his shot misses the target. EB on full attack mode here. A counter-attack from Indian Arrows could be dangerous.
75' Harmanpreeth Singh replaced Nikhil Raj a while ago. Like-for-like replacement. Indian Arrows manager Shanmugam Venkatesh should be very happy with his side's performance today.
71' OFFSIDE!!!! Kromah thought he had equalised but the linesman raised his flag. That was a delightful cross as well. This just hasn't been EB's day.
68' EB has enjoyed a 60-plus per cent possession this game and despite managing eight shots, out of which four were on target, the team hasn't found the back of the net yet. Poor stuff!
66' The Indian Arrows players are happy passing the ball within themselves. They are playing clever football here. Great composure from the Indian youngsters.
62' ANOTHER EB SUBSTITUTION!! The experienced Liberian star Ansumana Kromah makes his way into the middle. Brandon is the player who went out.
58' GOALLLLLLL!!!! INDIAN ARROWS TAKES THE LEAD AGAINST THE RUN OF PLAY!! Vikram Partap Singh scores the goal. Givson Singh with the assist. The East Bengal defence just switch off there. EB definitely in a spot of bother now.
57' SUBSTITUTION! Samad Mallick replaces Kamalpreet Singh for East Bengal. Mario Rivera looks extremely animated on the sidelines.
56' ANOTHER FLURRY OF CHANCES FOR EB!! Jaime Santos and Espada are missing easy opportunities for fun today. EB's miserable performance up front continues.
52' CHANCE!! Indian Arrows almost opened the scoring here. The East Bengal defence looks extremely rusty now. Poor stuff from the senior players.
48' SAVE!!! Juan Mera puts a pass to Brandon who evades a few Indian Arrows players and crosses the ball into the box but Jaime Santos' header is punched away by Arrows keeper Jongte. That was so close!
THE SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY!
This has been a great display from the young guns of Indian Arrows. East Bengal was on the backfoot towards the end of the first half after missing a number of chances early on.
EB manager Mario Rivera might make one or two changes soon. We've got a game on our hands ladies and gentlemen. Forty-five minutes to go. Stay Tuned!
END OF FIRST HALF!
45+2' EB should be kicking itself for not utilising all those set-pieces. Indian Arrows has looked the better side after the first 25 minutes.
45' Two minutes of stoppage time to be added on!! Looks like EB coach Mario Rivera is going to make substitution here??!!!
42' THROW-IN FOR INDIAN ARROWS! This is from a dangerous position. However, East Bengal defence gets it away with ease.
40' Apart from the seven corner kicks and two weak shots on goal, East Bengal has been struggling a bit here. Indian Arrows is putting up a spirited show today.
37' YELLOW CARD!!! Asheer Akhtar is booked for a late challenge on Indian Arrows' lone forward and skipper Vikram Partap Singh. This 18-year-old Indian lad from Chandigarh has been phenomenal so far.
34' CHANCE!!!! Akash Mishra of Indian Arrows dribbles past EB's Asheer Akhtar in style and gets to the edge of the box. He tries to find Vikram Partap Singh in the middle with a low cross. But Marti Crespi intercepts it on time to avert the danger for his side. Vikram and Crespi are exchanging a few words here. Their teammates separate both of them.
32' CLOSE!!! EB skipper Lalrindika Ralte with a good run on the left wing, however, his final cross misses all of his teammates. Whenever Marti Crespi is on the ball, there's a loud cheer from the crowd.
28' YELLOW CARD!!! Indian Arrows' Hormipam Ruiv gets booked for a poor challenge on Espada. EB's Spanish forward Marco Jimenez de la Espada is literally everywhere. He is winning fouls, giving away some, making moves into the box and has been at the centre of action so far.
24' Indian Arrows is getting a move on here. The midfielders have started supplying some good long balls to the forwards.
20' YELLOW CARD!! East Bengal's Espada is the first player booked today for a silly tackle. Free-kick for Indian Arrows.
16' VERY CLOSE!!! Another East Bengal set-piece another miss!! Juan Mera Gonzalez with the free-kick and an unmarked Marti Crespi received it with the goal at his mercy but the EB player comes up with an extremely poor shot. Glorious opportunity missed.
14' Indian Arrows captain Vikram Partap Singh has can be threatening at times. East Bengal has to keep him under check to improve its chances in this match.
10' SHOT! Jaime Santos Colado with an one-two with Espada but Santos' final shot is blocked by the Indian Arrows defence.
6' Two more corners wasted by EB. There have been a number of aerial battles already as well. Indian Arrows are being dominated here.
3' Two corners already for East Bengal and they mess up both. This is the ninth meeting between the two sides and East Bengal has beaten Indian Arrows the previous eight times.
AND WE'RE UNDERWAY!
Match preview
Kolkata giant East Bengal will host AIFF developmental side Indian Arrows in its I-League campaign today.
The Red and Golds endured a tough start to 2020 with three defeats on the trot landing a substantial dent to their title aspirations. However, their win against Chennai City has certainly served as a sense of relief in the camp.
Arrows continues to play its experimental brand of exciting football, with Indian football team coach Igor Stimac keeping a close eye on them.
“Motivation is not a problem for these boys. We are a young side that is developing and learning with every game and we will continue doing that against East Bengal,” said Shanmugam Venkatesh, head coach, Indian Arrows.
He added, “Results matter but fundamentally, we are a developmental side. We have been training hard each day and all the boys have grown as individuals and players over the season.”
For East Bengal, Asheer Akhtar has been solid at the back. Brandon Vanlalremdika had a brilliant outing as well and might start yet again, at the expense of Pintu Mahata.
East Bengal captain Lalrindika Ralte said, “The mood is very good after a great game against Chennai. Everyone feels positive but a lot of work still needs to be done. Indian Arrows will be a tough challenge. They have young players, who like to run a lot and are great while in possession. It’s not going to be easy.”
Having trailed Mohun Bagan by 12 points just two weeks ago, a win for East Bengal will take it to within six points of its arch-rival, and subsequently, back in the title race.
Match details
East Bengal vs Indian Arrows will kick off at 5 PM IST and can be watched on 1Sports and FanCode App. Live online streaming is also available.
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