East Bengal FC Stun Punjab FC with a thriller of a comeback: ISL 2024-25
East Bengal FC pulled off an incredible comeback, defeating Punjab FC 4-2 in a thrilling Indian Super League match at the Salt Lake Stadium: Trailing 2-0 at halftime, East Bengal FC made a remarkable turnaround in the second half, scoring four unanswered goals to seal the win.
The match began with Punjab FC dominating the proceedings, and they took a 2-0 lead into halftime. Asmir broke the deadlock in the 21st minute, and Pulga Vidal doubled the lead in the 39th minute.
East Bengal FC’s defense was put to the test early on, with Punjab FC’s attacking trio of Luka Majcen, Asmir, and Vidal causing problems. In the 5th minute, Punjab FC’s early attack was cleared out of danger by East Bengal FC goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill.
East Bengal FC had a great opportunity to take the lead in the 8th minute when they were awarded a free kick. Cleiton Silva’s great ball into the box was converted into a goal by David Hmar, but the linesman correctly ruled it offside.
As the half progressed, Punjab FC’s dominance grew, and they eventually took the lead through Asmir’s goal in the 21st minute. The goal was created by Vidal, who made a great pass to Asmir, past the sloppy East Bengal defense, and Asmir slotted the ball past Gill.
East Bengal FC tried to respond, but Punjab FC’s defense held firm. In the 25th minute, East Bengal FC made a brilliant counter-attack, with Nandha making a beautiful pass to Silva, nutmegging Novoselec. Silva dribbled past Abhimeitei and took the shot, ignoring David on the other side. The ball was off target and went out.
Punjab FC continued to create scoring chances, and they eventually doubled their lead in the 39th minute through Vidal’s stunning strike. The goal was created by a throw-in on the right side, which was taken by Lhungdim. The ball was thrown towards Vidal, who made a great false, got inside the box, and shot from a tight angle.
In the injury time, Mahesh was brought down by Lhungdim and was booked for that. Cleiton’s free kick hit Nikhil and the ball was out for a corner. Mahesh’s corner was headed out for another corner but the referee blew the whistle for Half time. The visitors were up by 2:0 in the break.
The second half saw a different East Bengal FC team, with PV Vishnu replacing Mahesh in the playing 11. The substitution proved to be a game-changer, as East Bengal FC launched a fierce attack from the start.
East Bengal made an attack in the very first minute of the second half, but the ball contacted Novoselec’s hand, giving East Bengal a free kick. Silva took the free kick and his beautiful cross inside the box was headed in by Hijazi Maher, reigniting the crowd’s excitement.
Soon, at the 49th minute, Novoselec was subbed off for Vinit Rai by PFC manager Panagiotis Dilmperis, as he was injured while he tried to defend Cleiton’s free kick. PFC got a free kick outside the box. Lalchungnunga fouled Nihal outside the box. Pulga Vidal’s centre, aimed for Majcen was easily caught by Gill. At the 54th minute, Rakip’s centre into the box was headed towards the empty space inside the penalty box by Suresh Meitei, in an attempt to clear the ball. But Super-Sub Vishnu was there to level the scoreline for the home side.
At the 58th minute, Vinit Rai fouled Anwar Ali and was booked for that, after Anwar was down for too long. Soon Souvik Chakrabarti made a run with the ball, passing it to David. David made a nice pass to Nandhakumar on the right flank. Nandha’s cross found Suresh Meitei’s leg and struck the back of the net. East Bengal took the lead, they made the comeback!
At the 64th minute, Vishnu almost went past Lhungdim, but the Punjab defender fouled him and was shown a second yellow to send him off. Punjab was now trailing with one man down. At the 67th minute, Vishnu received a pass from Anwar Ali at the middle third. He made a run with the ball and from outside the box, made a curling cross aimed for David. David headed the ball with power and it was the fourth of the night for the Red and Golds.
By the end of the 5th quarter of the game, the whole gallery was cheering “EAST BENGAL! EAST BENGAL!” and “OSCAR! OSCAR!”, and why shouldn’t they? Their beloved team was playing like the good old times, reminding everyone of the famous quote in Indian Football, “Backfooted East Bengal is scarier than a poked Tiger”. Cleiton Silva was orchestrating the whole game and the galleries. Further substitutions were made by both the teams. Bakenga was subbed in for Majcen, who made several attempts to find the back of the net for Punjab, but none of them were good enough to beat Gill.
The victory marked East Bengal FC’s second home win, and the team’s character and mentality seems to have undergone a significant transformation under Oscar Bruzon’s guidance.
Oscar Bruzon has done something which is next to impossible. Took a team which was at the last spot without a single point, gave their supporters hope, changed their mentality, and the team is played very well, despite the key players being out injured. Though East Bengal still remains at the 11th position, they now have an advantage over Kerala Blasters as East Bengal have played one less game. East Bengal will face Jamshedpur FC next, on December 21. That will be their last home game of 2024. We have to wait and see what Oscar and his men do.
Man of the Match: David Hmar
Attendance: 9989
Referee: Aditya Purkayastha
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