KOLKATA: Kingfisher East Bengal (KEB) clinched their second-straight victory at home, as they got past Shillong Lajong FC with a 2-1 scoreline at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, here on Sunday.
Both of the goals for KEB came from Nigerian forward Ranti Martins, while Cornell Glen scored the solitary goal for SLFC.
The Red and Golds took the lead at the half hour mark as Ranti’s looping header beat Rehenesh, who was out of his line, all ends out. It was Bertos who combined brilliantly with Saumik Dey on the left, before finding the Nigerian with a perfect cross.
The goal seemed to transform the Kolkata side as they crafted a couple of chances after the goal. Just two minutes later Ranti found plenty of space down the left to run onto but wasted too much time in sending a cross in towards Dudu who was unmarked. When the cross did come in, Dudu failed to reach it at full stretch.
About ten minutes into the half, Khabra combined with Bertos on the right and put in a measured cross into the box, which was headed inches wide by Dudu.
The substitution worked wonders as Shillong Lajong snuck back into the match on the hour mark with Cornell Glen finishing off a delightful move that he himself started, bicycle kicking it into the net.
Just a minute later, the Red and Golds could have gone into the lead again as Dudu broke into the box on the counter before laying it off to Ranti whose shot from just outside the box went horribly high.
Durga Boro almost singlehandedly gave his team the lead in the 68th minute when he cut in from the left before a piledrive of a shot just sailed wide of the far post.
The Red and Golds did get the lead back on the 70th minute as Ranti completed his brace. It was a Raju Gaikawad long throw that wreaked havoc in the box, with Ranti having no problems thumping in a header on the near post, with the goalkeeper stranded in no mans land.
On the 84th minute it was RajuGaikawad who came to his side’s rescue after Uilliams had once again gone clear down the left before aiming a cross towards Cornell Glen. If not for Raju’s interception, Cornell had only the goalkeeper to beat from point blank range.
The Kolkata side managed to see off the match and made it two back to back wins at home, while the North East side were relegated to their second defeat on the road.
