Nandhakumar Sekar produced a spectacular finish to help Emami East Bengal end its losing streak against its arch-rival Mohun Bagan Super Giant, at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
The Chennai-born winger’s contribution saw East Bengal down the Indian Super League (ISL) champion MBSG by a solitary goal in the group-A match of the Durand Cup, keeping its chances alive to qualify for the quarterfinals of the tournament.
RELATED: East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan highlights
Playing its second match of the season, EBFC now has four points and needs a win against I-League 2022-23 winner Punjab FC in the final group fixture to overtake the current leader, MBSG (six points from three matches) to move into the quarters.
Hoping to end a losing streak of a record eight matches against Mohun Bagan (since January 2020), EBFC came alive with a fine performance under its new Spanish coach Carles Cuadrat.
It set the tone of action with a better attack plan compared to MBSG which appeared to experiment, starting Armando Sadiku instead of Dimitrios Petratos, its usual forward in the last ISL season.
RELATED: In Pictures: East Bengal beats Mohun Bagan Super Giant in Kolkata Derby after four years
Despite fielding a newly strung combination with 15 new signings this season, EBFC’s execution kept the star-studded MBSG on a tight leash. EBFC had a couple of chances in the opening half and did well to keep the momentum after the break.
The Mariners drew big arrears in making effective transitions while the boys in Red-and-gold showed remarkable efficiency. Cuadrat seemed to have the right names in place as his side made good use of the flanks to keep the opponent’s defence under pressure.
EBFC had the first chance in the 18th minute when Naorem Mahesh went up the flank to set a cross for Javier Siverio. The Spanish forward kept his attempt on target but Brendan Hamill made a timely block to deny him.
ALSO READ: East Bengal in Durand Cup: A look at Durand Cup titles won by EBFC
East Bengal made many more raids in the Bagan box and succeeded in opening effectively in the 60th-minute counter-attack that saw Nandhakumar producing the all-important goal.
He showed his calibre as a quality forward as he collected a pass from Saul Crespo, got the better of his marker, Anirudh Thapa, and beat the opposition goalkeeper Vishal Kaith with a curling left-footer into the net.
The 27-year-old winger, who made a switch from Odisha FC this season, became the darling of the East Bengal crowd as his team realised its first derby win after four and a half years.
Comments
SHARE