HERO I-LEAGUE: Experience to the fore as East Bengal edge out Arrows

by Vineet Varma January 8, 2019

Bhubaneswar, January 8, 2019: Experience trumped over youth as East Bengal beat Indian Arrows 2-1 in their 12th Hero I-League match at the Kalinga Stadium on Tuesday.

Laldanmawia (penalty) and Jobby Justin scored for East Bengal in the 26th and 64th minutes respectively. Ninthoi (penalty) scored the only goal for Arrows in the 90th minute.

Arrows’ resolute defending and East Bengal’s experienced play ensured that a chunk of the game was played out in midfield. Vikram Pratap’s failed effort was Arrows’ best chance to score in the first-half.

East Bengal, on the other hand, played from the midfield and tried to score on the counter. And the tactic paid off when Laldanmawia scored in the 26th minute after a superb assist from Jaime Santos.

It could have been two-nil to the visitors if Didicka hadn’t missed from the spot in the 30th minute. Full marks to Arrows goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill for his fantastic save!

Despite stout defending by Arrows the first-half ended 1-0 in East Bengal’s favor.

Arrows missed chances in front of goal as they searched for an equalizer in the second-half. And that laxity hurt them as East Bengal scored their second thanks to Jobby Justin’s effort off a rebound in the 64th minute.

Gill was partly at fault (for the goal) as he failed to latch on to the ball while attempting a save.

The game took a physical turn when East Bengal’s Lalram Chullova (56th minute) and Arrows’ Aniket Jadhav (84th minute) got their marching orders from the referee.

Though Arrows did score late on still it was too little too late. Jobby Justin was adjudged as the ‘Hero of the Match’.

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