Yakubu strikes for E Bengal

Yakubu strikes for E Bengal
E Bengal…1   Mumbai FC…0
AGENCIES
KOLKATA, APRIL 15
Yusif Yakubu put an end to East Bengal seven match winless streak as the Kolkata giants edged past Mumbai Football Club by a solitary goal in a round-21 of ONGC I-League at Salt Lake stadium, here on Thursday.
It was a match between two teams wary of relegation threat as both East Bengal and Mumbai were perishing at the bottom of the standings with 21 points following a winless patch.
But East Bengal scored through a penalty conversion by Yusif in the second-half to help his team come back from slumber in the round 21 at Salt Lake Stadium Thursday.
East Bengal climbed to eighth place with three points taking their tally to 24 points, two points behind arch-rivals and last year’s runners-up Mohun Bagan who are in the sixth place. The Mumbai outfit remained in the drop zone with 21 points from 21 matches.
East Bengal did not have a very good first half with their usual mis-passes and wasted opportunities being the order of the day. Yusuf was missing the target more than once, while captain Syed Rahim Nabi was no better. As a result, Mumbai FC remained unscathed in the first half.
Coach Phillippe de Ridder opted for Alvito d Cunha in the starting XI but there was no result as the veteran too finding it difficult to score. In the 12nd minute, Alvito missed again when his shot was cleared by the Mumbai defence with ease. East Bengal however had the better ball possession. Nabi-Yusif combined but the Ghanaian striker could not find the target as they played out goalless in the first-half.
It was in the 59th minute when East Bengal got their best chance with a Mumbai defender bringing down Abel Hammond inside the box and a penalty was awarded in favour of East Bengal. Yakubu converted from the spot to take East Bengal 1-0 in the 61st minute.
In the 72nd minute, Sanju Pradhan came in place of Nabi while Bhutia was brought in for Bekhokhei as East Bengal went all out but Mumbai held on without any further damage.
Mehtab Hussain was given the man-of-the match prize for his brilliant performance.