India Sports Tribune

MARGAO, INDIA: East Bengal defeated Punjab FC 3-1 in the first semifinal of the ongoing AIFF Super Cup at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao, Goa, on Thursday, December 4. The Red and Gold Brigade took the lead in the 12th minute thanks to a silly error made by Punjab defender Suresh Meitei.

In a 1v1 tussle with Bipin Singh while tracking back, Meitei conceded a corner, from which the former sent in a delectable ball off the resulting set-piece. Headed away by the crowded box, the ball reached the inviting feet of Mohammad Rashid, who put his foot through it and saw it at the back of the net.

Punjab equalised in the 34th minute thanks to Daniel Ramirez converting from the penalty spot. A cross from Vinit Rai towards Ricky Shabong on the right wing rebounded off the latter to hit Bipin’s hand, after which the referee wasted no time pointing towards the spot.

Ramirez shot it to his left, sending East Bengal goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh the wrong way. However, the Shers’ lead was not to last long; central defender Kevin Sibille pulled one back for the Torchbearers just before half-time with a header off Miguel Ferreira’s set-piece from the corner.

The referee blew his whistle at the end of the first half, but not before a tinge of drama had been added to the narrative. East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon was shown a second straight yellow card for dissent, presumably for vocally disagreeing with the officials’ decision not to award his side a free kick a few minutes ago.

​Punjab FC changed their formation in the second half

In the second half, East Bengal stuck to their guns and continued playing through the lines. Their two-man midfield engine of Saul Crespo and Rashid operated in contrasting styles; the former used his creativity to supply lobbed balls to the final third while the latter used his physical presence to good effect while getting between the ball and his markers.

Punjab took midfielder Rai off and started playing with a four-man backline, as opposed to the three-man defence they used in the first half. Nikhil Prabhu, as the central defensive midfielder, dropped deep to help his defenders when they did not have the ball, and played a vital role in recycling passes and setting up transitions. Ricky Shabong, up till now used as the right wingback, was posted at right back.

Bede Osuji’s arrival at the top of the formation forced Punjab to resort to a 4-2-3-1 formation with Junior Effiong playing as the central attacking midfielder. East Bengal made their first change in the 70th minute when Edmund Lalrindika was brought on for the off-colour Mahesh Singh.

Soon afterwards, East Bengal found the back of the net for the third time when captain Crespo was set up nicely by the Brazilian Ferreira just outside the box. The East Bengal captain drove the ball home with a sweetly-timed left-footed shot that beat Punjab goalkeeper Muheet Shabir comfortably. The glaring difference in the quality of the attackers in both teams eventually made the difference.

While East Bengal thrived on a free-flowing, creative brand of football, it appeared as if Punjab relied solely on physical, aggressive box-to-box play, with hardly anyone being able to unlock their opponents’ midfield and defence. The Torchbearers booked their spot in the final, which will be played on December 7, and now await the winners of the second semifinal between FC Goa and Mumbai City.

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