Diamantakos’s Foolish Red Card Costs East Bengal as they go out of Top 6 Race

After registering the first ever hat-trick of wins in ISL, Oscar Bruzon’s East Bengal FC hosted the mighty Bengaluru FC at Kolkata. East Bengal were trying to win their last league stage home game and be in the race for top 6, while Bengaluru were trying to finish 3rd and have a home advantage in the playoff game. For the Red and Golds to qualify for the playoffs, they needed to win their remaining games while hope that NorthEast and Odisha FC drop points. The 100-year old club failed to get the three points due to a injury time equaliser from the penalty spot from Sunil Chhetri. 

 

East Bengal FC, playing in front of a packed home crowd, started on the front foot. Their aggressive pressing and quick passing unsettled Bengaluru FC early on, and the breakthrough arrived in the 11th minute.

A well-worked move saw Spanish midfielder Saul Crespo control possession under pressure before threading a pass to Messi Bouli, who turned sharply and fired a powerful left-footed strike past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to give East Bengal a 1-0 lead. The home fans erupted, sensing a crucial victory in their playoff chase.

Bengaluru FC responded almost immediately, with Sunil Chhetri leading the attack. In the 14th minute, the veteran forward got on the end of a cross from Roshan Singh, directing a strong header toward goal. However, East Bengal’s goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill produced an excellent reflex save to deny him. The rebound fell to Roshan inside the box, but his attempt was blocked by the resolute home defense. East Bengal got many more chances in the first 45 minutes but to the shock of everyone, all those open chances were wasted. The most surprising of them all was Vishnu’s shot, which was a simple tap-in, but he put it way over the crossbar while being around 6 yards away from the goal-line!

The game took a dramatic turn in first-half stoppage time when East Bengal were reduced to ten men. Dimitrios Diamantakos was involved in a foolish off-the-ball altercation with Bengaluru’s Alberto Noguera and was shown a straight red card. The red card also was a very strange decision. If Diamantakos’s red card can be justified, Noguera should also have been sent off for the tackle he made. The decision sparked protests from the East Bengal players, but the referee stood firm, leaving the home side a man down for the entire second half.

 

With a numerical advantage, Bengaluru FC controlled possession in the second half and pushed East Bengal deeper into their half. The visitors dominated midfield through Suresh Wangjam and Javi Hernandez, while Roshan Singh provided dangerous deliveries from the left flank.

In the 58th minute, Bengaluru almost found the equalizer when Hernandez’s curling free kick found Aleksandar Jovanovic, but his header was narrowly off target.

Despite the pressure, East Bengal continued to threaten on the counterattack. In the 76th minute, a quick breakaway saw Naorem Mahesh Singh sprint down the left before squaring the ball to substitute David Lalhlansanga. The young forward had a golden opportunity to seal the game but was denied by a save from Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who got down low to block the shot. David’s choice of shoot was poor as it would have easily gone in if he added a bit of chip to it. In the mean time, the visitors had many chances and two of them struck the post. 

A rather strange scene was seen when Messi Bouli was fouled by a Bengaluru defender. Messi went down after receiving a blow on his from his opponent’s elbow. Very surprisingly, Harish Kundu, one of the most criticised Indian referees booked Messi Bouli.

 

Just when it seemed East Bengal would hold on for all three points, Bengaluru FC were awarded a penalty in the 90th minute. A cross into the box struck Nishu Kumar’s outstretched arm, and after a brief consultation with his assistant, the referee pointed to the spot.

Up stepped Sunil Chhetri, India’s all-time top scorer, and he made no mistake, sending Prabhsukhan Gill the wrong way to level the score at 1-1. The Bengaluru FC skipper showed remarkable composure under pressure, securing a vital point for his side. The draw felt way more disappointing and depressing to the supporters even though they were happy with the fight their team put on for a complete half with only 10 men. Oscar Bruzon too was proud of his side’s performance but admitted that the momentum shifted in Bengaluru FC’s favor after Diamantakos foolishly received the marching orders. The Greek can and should be held accountable for East Bengal’s exit from the top 6 race.

 

With the draw, East Bengal are now officially out of the top 6 race as now the best they can do is 7th. Oscar Bruzon said to the press media that his main focus now shifts to the knock-outs of the AFC Challenge League, where they will be locking horns in Quarter Final Leg 1 against Turkmenistan side FC Arkadag. With supporters still keeping faith in Oscar and his men, East Bengal will face a tough challenge against FC Arkadag as they will be missing one of their key players, Anwar Ali. Anwar sustained an injury and Oscar was forced to sub him off. According to the Spanish manager, Anwar Ali has suffered an injury in his hamstring and will be out for a few weeks. Everything will be clear after his MRI is conducted. 

 

With many key players missing and a very tight and hectic schedule where the team is forced to play games within 72 hours, the Red and Gold will need nothing less of a miracle to grab a win against the current champions of Turkmenistan. The supporters will definitely hope the newly signed foreigner Messi Bouli can continue with his magical performance at the Challenge League.