Manjeri, Apr 17 (PTI) East Bengal FC crashed out of the Hero Super Cup following a 2-2 draw against Aizawl FC in a Group B clash at the Payyanad Stadium here on Monday.
Naorem Mahesh Singh and Sumeet Passi put the Red and Golds in front, but two goals from Aizawl FC in quick succession knocked the Kolkata club out of the competition.
In the day’s other match, Odisha FC registered a come-from-behind 2-1 win over Hyderabad FC to progress to the semi-finals.
Second-half goals from Diego Mauricio and Victor Rodriguez were enough to overcome an early deficit as Odisha FC ensured they remained unbeaten in Group B and finished with seven points in their kitty with two victories and one draw.
Meanwhile, Javier Siverio put Hyderabad FC in the lead early in the game. East Bengal FC head coach Stephen Constantine made several changes to the starting XI, no doubt in an attempt to rack up a big win in their final group game. Sumeet Passi, Tuhin Das, Charalambos Kyriacou were all named on the team sheet for East Bengal.
Naorem Mahesh Singh was the driving force of East Bengal’s attack for the majority of the match and it was him who found the opener in the 17th minute.
Brilliantly played through by Cleiton Silva, Mahesh cut inside the box before crossing the ball to the centre of the area. His cross caught a wicked deflection though, ending up in the Aizawl goal.
Moments later, midfielder Mobashir Rahman had a golden opportunity to extend the lead. He received a loose ball just outside the edge of the box but ended up shooting over the crossbar.
Five minutes after the opener, East Bengal doubled their lead. From a VP Suhair cross, Sumeet Passi rose highest to head it into an empty net after Aizawl FC goalkeeper Vanlalhriatpuia got his angles wrong in an attempt to punch the ball clear.
At the time, a rout looked in the offing. Right before half time though, Aizawl pulled one back against the run of play.
Defender Akito Saito ran upfield before releasing a through pass to David Lalhlansanga. David made the most of the pass and took a shot from a narrow angle. Kamaljit saved the initial attempt but the rebound fell straight to Lalhruaitluanga, who kept his composure to pull one back.
If that wasn’t enough, minutes after the restart Aizawl drew level, David scoring the equaliser.
Source: PTI News
