Churchill get past East Bengal 2-1

By IANS,

Kolkata : Churchill Brothers pipped Kolkata outfit East Bengal 2-1 to move up to the third position in the I-League here Monday.


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The Goans were clearly the better side on view at the Salt Lake stadium game that saw two same side goals – one by each side.

Hosts East Bengal shot into the lead as early as the second minute when Churchill custodian Arindam Ghosh made heavy weather of a Chandam Chitra Singh backpass and the ball rolled into the goal, much to the joy of the sparse crowd.

The Goans upped the ante after the reverse and attacked with gusto before restoring parity in the 32nd minute with Man of the Match Kalu Ogba Nnanna nodding home an Odafe Okolie freekick.

With the two teams tied 1-1 at the halfway stage, the hosts took the initiative early in the second session with Yousif Yakubu playing a trifle deep to create the moves.

East Bengal’s new Ghanaian import Ishmael Ado, who was far from a hit on debut, failed to beat Ghosh in a one-to-one situation.

But Churchill managed to make the only dent in the scoreline in the second half, when East Bengal rear guard Mehrajuddin Wadoo put the ball into his own net at the hour mark. Mehrajuddin made the faux pas while trying to negotiate a Gourmangi Singh minus and was shocked to see the ball go in.

After Monday’s game, East Bengal remained on 12 points to be at the ninth spot. There was an ugly incident after the match, as some East Bengal fans tried to pounce on Churchill coach Zoran Djordjevic.

However, the police intervened and escorted him to safety. Later, an East Bengal supporter was arrested, while Zoran described the mob as “terrorists”.

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