East Bengal 1-2 FC Goa: 3 key talking points as Victor and Jhingan lead quickfire comeback

FC Goa continued their perfect start to the 23/24 ISL season with a 2-1 win against East Bengal at the Kalinga Stadium. The Gaurs pulled off a comeback from 1-0 down to take all three points from Kolkata and climb up to second place in the table behind league leaders Mohun Bagan SG. 

Here are the three key points from the first game after the international break. 

Three key points from FC Goa’s third straight ISL win 

Late comeback costs East Bengal yet again 

Last season, one of the main problems that East Bengal faced was conceding far too many goals late in games to drop points from winning positions. Their performance against FC Goa was reminiscent of exactly that. 

Sandesh Jhingan and Victor Rodriguez turned the tides within a minute to help their team gain a 2-1 advantage. And Carles Cuadrat will have to find a way to avoid these lapses if they are to make it to the top six this year. 

FC Goa: A team reborn 

After finishing 7th in the table last season and 9th in 21/22, many had written off the Gaurs even before the season started. But, their performance in the Durand Cup and the first three games of the ISL have shown that they are a team reborn, earning a perfect record to set them up for a surprise title challenge. 

Early challenges for East Bengal 

After a significant overhaul in the summer, the expectations from East Bengal were set high following their Durand Cup performance. And now, they are finally showing signs of turbulence, failing to conjure many attacks in the game. 

They looked to play on the counter led by their captain, Cleiton Silva, but had very few opportunities to do so throughout the game. As a result, the immediate challenge will be to add more creativity and fluidity to their attack, especially against more imposing opponents.