Federation Cup: Shillong outplay East Bengal to take lead after first leg
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Fabio Pena's winner in the second half guided Shillong Lajong to a 2-1 win over East Bengal in the first leg of their quarter-final tie in the Federation Cup at Guwahati on Sunday. However, conceding a sloppy away goal and Robin Gurung's late red card spoiled the party for Thangboi Singto's men.
Shillong Lajong: Vishal Kaith (GK), Nimdorjee Tamang, Chinglensana Konsham Singh, Zodingliana, Samuel Lalmuanpuia, Robin Gurung, Penn Orji, Pritam Kumar Singh, Issac V. Chhakchhuak, Bipin Singh
East Bengal: Rehenesh TP (GK), Deepak Mandal, Arnab Mondal, Bello Rasaq, Narayan Das, Harmanjot Khabra, Mehtab Hossain, Lalrindika Ralte, Do Dong-Hyun, Ranti Martins, Syhlo Malsawmtluanga
After ending their I-League campaign on a disappointing note, both on and off the pitch, East Bengal were desperate to start their Federation Cup campaign on a positive note. The arrival of Trevor Morgan has provided a new lease of life to the supporters, and the Englishman will be hoping to repeat his success in the tournament.
The Kolkata-based club has been ravaged by injuries of late, and Morgan opted to use the 4-3-3 formation against Shillong. However, with the players still adjusting to the new tactics, the home side started the match on the top. Despite having three central midfielders in their team, it was Shillong who dominated the possession of the ball. Penn Orji, in particular, was the best midfielder on the pitch as he stamped his class on the match.
Eventually, the home side deservedly took the lead in the 32nd minute when Konsham Singh headed in a lovely corner from Bipin Singh. Lalrindika Ralte was marking the center back from the set piece, but it was a mismatch in air and Shillong went ahead 1-0.
The Shillong attackers were enjoying a lot of space and time in the attacking third with the East Bengal midfielders failing to close them down. Razaq, in particular, was caught out of position numerous times during the game, and if not for the covering skills of his defensive partner Arnab, the scoreline could have been worse for East Bengal at the end of the game.
In the 38th minute, Issac was through on goal as Razaq lost his man easily. Rehenesh came off his line to stop the man in his stride, but the rebound reached Gurung inside the box. The midfielder had an attempt on the goal from a tight angle, but Deepak Mandal got back on line in time to save the goal.
Despite Shillong dominating the whole of the first half, East Bengal equalized against the run of play in the 43rd minute as Do Dong-Hyun found the back of the net. A long ball from the back was controlled inside the box by Ranti Martins, before the striker hooked it towards the far post with his right peg. The Korean forward drifted in at the far post and head the ball into the net to make it 1-1.
Shillong continued their domination in the second half, and eventually, Fabio Pena restored the home side's lead in the 61st minute. Isaac did well to keep the ball on the left side of the box, and pulled the ball towards Bipin, but his shot was blocked by Arnab. The rebound fell kindly for Fabio in front of the goal, who turned his marker and found the bottom corner of the net.
East Bengal pushed forward in search of an equalizer towards the end, especially after Robin Gurung was shown a red card for elbowing Abinash Ruidas, but the match ended 2-1 in favour of Shillong. The Kolkata-based club will not be too disappointed with the scoreline, considering the fact that they were completely outplayed for most of the match and still managed to score an away goal.
