Kolkata: A stunning shot from Mohammad Rafique in the dying stages of the first half helped East Bengal to not only defeat Gokulam Kerala FC by a 1-0 margin but also climb on top of the I-League table at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Wednesday.
Courtesy his scorcher from outside the box to break the deadlock in the 44th minute, he was also named man of the match on a cold Wednesday night in Kolkata.
The first half began on an even note as both sides had their share of chances. In the 14th minute, the home side almost got the lead through a beautifully chipped shot from Rafique which had the keeper Khan caught off-guard. But the stopper averted further danger by managing to send the ball for another unsuccessful corner.
Bino George’s side got their best chance in the first half to take a lead through a wonderful shot which has the keeper Barreto beaten. Sadly for the visitors, it only hit the crossbar, much to the relief of the fans. Francis Idris Ambane, who came in as an early replacement for Khaled Alsaleh who was out with an injury was one of the best players for the visitors on the pitch as he created a lot of chances.
But Rafique’s stunning strike in the 44th minute after broke the deadlock as the fans in the stands broke into applause and cheers.
If the first half was more or less uneventful apart from a defensive error by Santu Singh, the second half had a lot of drama that ensured that the match wasn’t a boring one. Gokulam forward Rohit Mirza was shown an initial yellow card after he kicked Japanese medio Katsumi Yusa which prompted the East Bengal camp to walk up and protest. Although Mirza himself was injured and later had to be carried out on a stretcher, the referee changed his decision and showed him a red card, leaving the visitors with just 10-men.
But despite that, the Kerala based side showed a lot of fight and managed to not concede any more goals. They were also aided by the fact that the home side started playing defensive with Khalid Jamil bringing in Bazie Armand in place of striker Charles De Souza.
The drama didn’t end there as in the 85th minute, Nigerian Emmanuel Chigozie was booked for a handball after an unsuccessful sliding tackle. Gokulam on the other hand have a lot of work to do but can take heart from their performance in the later half of the game.
The home side however walked away with all the three points and would now shift their focus to their away clash against Neroca FC on December 30.