(Football news) NorthEast United FC defeated SC East Bengal 2-0 at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda on Friday to win their second game of the season in the Indian Super League. The result also meant that SC East Bengal are now without a win in their last seven games and the team is now at the bottom of the league table with just three points.
The deadlock was broken by V.P Suhail who scored his second goal of the season in the 61st minute to give NorthEast United FC a vital lead. Patrick Flottmann scored the second goal for NEUFC and his first in the ISL with a header just seven minutes later to seal the victory for his team.
NorthEast United FC had a poor start to the fixture as Hernan Santana was ruled out of the match due to an injury during the warm-up. Both teams failed to create clear-cut opportunities in the opening half-hour mark. SC East Bengal’s center-back Franjo Prce was forced to leave the pitch after twisting his ankle and was replaced by Amir Dervisevic in the first half.
Before half time, both Naorem Singh and Rochharzela received yellow cards for reckless tackles. Both teams lacked quality in the final third with no shots on target in the first 45 minutes. In the second half, Lalkhawpuimawia received a yellow card and his shot before the hour mark failed to test the goalkeeper.
However, NorthEast United FC found a break in the 61st minute when an unforced error from Raju Gaikwad resulted in SC East Bengal conceding the ball in their own half. V.P Suhair was at the receiving end of a cross and the 29 year old’s right footed shot went beyond the goalkeeper and into the back of the net.
Seven minutes later, a training ground move from a free-kick saw Patrick Flottmann receive the ball and the 24 year old Australian converted from point-blank range to double NorthEast United FC’s advantage in the 68th minute. NEUFC could have had more goals but Khalsa Canara and Mathias Coureur failed to capitalize on their opportunities.
To make matters worse for SC East Bengal, their 29 year old Croatian forward Antonio Perosevic was shown a direct red for barging into referee Rahul Kumar Gupta in frustration. With this result, NEUFC are 7th on the table with 7 points but Kerala Blasters and FC Goa are just one point behind and have played two games less. SC East Bengal will next face Manolo Marquez’s Hyderabad FC at the Athletic Stadium on Thursday while NorthEast United FC will challenge ATK Mohun Bagan at the PJN Stadium on Tuesday.
Also read: FC Goa look to extend winning run in ISL
