In chilly conditions at the Changlimithang Stadium in Bhutan’s Thimphu, Oscar Bruzon’s East Bengal turned up the heat and registered its first win of the season across competitions after beating Bashundhara Kings 4-0 in the AFC Challenge League on Tuesday.
This was also Bruzon’s first victory in-charge of the Indian Super League (ISL) side, ending the club’s win drought in the ongoing season.
Coming into this fixture after a 2-2 draw against Paro FC, the Red and Gold Brigade wasted no time, showing its intent to collect all three points from the clash from kick-off itself. With just a little over 30 seconds on the clock, Dimitrios Diamantakos gave East Bengal the lead after he turned and slotted Lalchungnunga’s pass into the net first time.
The Indian side was finding it quite easy to needle the thread through the gaps in Bashundhara’s backline by overloading the midfield and not allowing the opposition players a lot of time on the ball.
READ MORE | BKS vs EBFC, AFC Challenge League 2024-25 Highlights
In the 20th minute, Souvik Chakrabarti – who was handed his first start in the competition – put his laces through the ball to find the net and double his side’s lead.
Just six minutes later, winger Nandhakumar Sekar got himself on the scoresheet before Anwar Ali scored the side’s fourth goal with an audacious finish in the 33rd minute. It was Anwar’s maiden goal in an East Bengal shirt.
Jonathan Reis came close to scoring in the 40th minute for the host side, but failed to keep his shot low as it went above the crossbar.
The second half saw Cleiton Silva replace Diamantakos and the Brazilian almost scored in the 51st minute but his chip was saved by the opposition ‘keeper Anisur Rahman.
The Bangladesh-based side had more chances at goal but failed to convert any of them. The closest the side came to scoring in the second half was when Reis’ thumping shot in the 82nd minute hit the upright.
With the loss, Bashundhara Kings was eliminated from the ongoing AFC Challenge League.
East Bengal, on the other hand, now sits in second with four points in Group A. It faces table-topper Nejmeh SC from Lebanon in its next match on November 1.
Content Source: sportstar.thehindu.com