Kolkata: Fourteen years of patience but not a league title in sight, East Bengal once again cut off the same story — of falling agonizingly short despite coming close- that tells about how in all these years of dominance and legendary status in Indian football, one space that still remain empty in their otherwise full trophy cabinet is the elusive I-League title.
Only that in all these years, this season was the closest they came to winning but ironically finished fourth. Only two matches ago Minerva Punjab’s shock 0-1 loss to Gokulam had opened doors for the ‘Red and Golds’ who had it simple — win both the remaining two games and clinch the title. But woeful finishing meant they instead ended up drawing both the games to finish below the top three.
They finished on 31 points, the same as Mohun Bagan but are behind on head-to-head record.
Neroca hold East Bengal
Coming into the match both teams needed a victory as well as favours from the other teams, if they were to lift the title. But the contest seemed well over even before it had began rolling when Minerva Punjab struck 15th minute into their game against Churchill Brothers.
East Bengal only played for a miracle from there and when Bagan struck in the 26th minute, East Bengal’s fight looked like one in vain. But they resorted to trying as their best option and came closer to scoring a number of tims in the opening few minutes.
That East Bengal will play on the up was crystal clear one hour prior to kick-off, when Jamil made as many as six changes in the playing 11 after speaking of just one or two in the pre-match conference. Atleast four among those six were attacking options.
It worked well for the ‘Red and Golds’ who created chances in plenty but were as has been all season, wayward and lacked the cutting edge. Their first chance came as early as the seventh minute when Dudu Omagbemi failed to lay his head into a Mohammad Rafique long ball.
Then Minerva Punjab’e goal somewhere 1716 km away brought some urgency into their game and both teams attacked and tackled with equal pace. East Bengal should have well gone ahead twice by the 38th minute.
But standing at goal-melee and with no one at sight, Jobby Justin fired into the stands after Mahmoud Al-Amnah found him with a cross. Then Amnah fed by Dudu hit straight at Neroca custodian Lalit Thapa. In between those two chances Dudu had come close two times but both the times shot wide.
Their failures however unperturbed Neroca who after absorbing the initial storm broke loose and scored from a counter. Felix Chidi struck in the 42nd minute after the visitors for the first time in the match were allowed to stitch together a series of passes. Nicholas Ward first found Ashok Moirangmayum with a long ball and then found Chidi next after receiving the ball back. As the Frenchmen moved forward, East Bengal captain Arnab Mondal first played into the offside trap ridiculously but failing tried an audacious tackle landing nowhere.
It gave Chidi just enough space to wrong foot East Bengal goalkeeper Ubaid and fire home for the opening goal.
Injured and with the title swimming away from their grip, the hosts threw the kitchen sink as play resumed in the second-half but Neroca who had conceded just 13 goals — the lowest among 10 teams — once again showed why they were the best when it came to defending.
The duo of Govin Singh and Varney Kallon defended their lives and not until the 73rd minute did East Bengal breach their line. The goal came through Dudu and was after he headed home Lalramchullova’s long cross from the left. Till then the hosts had squandered a dozen of missed chances.
East Bengal though would complain that they missed two penties which if given could have perhaps given them a life-line. both Kallon and Saran Singh were guilty of handling the ball inside their own penalty box but the referee overlooked.
It though didn’t matter in the end as Minerva secured a vcitory — their 11th this season — taking the I-League to north for the first time in 21 years. East Bengal and Neroca next play in the Super Cup staring March 31.