East Bengal have now lost two consecutive matches after their 1-0 defeat against Mumbai City FC at home. The Red and Gold side are without a win in all three ISL games after their Super Cup win, drawing 2-2 against Mohun Bagan before being handed a loss by NorthEast United away from home.
Iker Guarrotxena scored the only goal of the game in the first half, producing a brilliant finish even though he was surrounded by defenders. The Spaniard joined the Islanders in the winter transfer window and is already showing why he could be a great replacement for Greg Stewart.
East Bengal’s problems pile up as they go winless for three games
The absence of Cleiton Silva was always going to be a massive blow for the team, going up against one of the best sides in the ISL. And in spite of the presence of new signing Forbes, the team just didn’t have the same sharpness going forward.
They were able to conjure a number of opportunities in the second half to threaten the opposition. Young winger Vishnu in particular had several key chances to score an equaliser, but he couldn’t find the right connection in spite of his skillful performance.
The fans were able to see Victor Vazquez take to the field at home for the first time, and while the former Barcelona player was able to pick out some key passes, he sometimes looked out of favour in terms of speed.
Carles Cuadrat achieved a huge feat by winning the Super Cup with an underdog team only a few weeks ago. But the real challenge now lies in preparing the side for the bigger challenge next season. The injury to Saul Crespo hasn’t been doing them any favours, but with Cleiton Silva returning in the next game, things could change for the better.
