Pune FC dent East Bengal’s title hopes

Striker Mandjou Keita and mid-fielder Shanmugham Venkatesh fired Pune FC up to the seventh position with 26 points as they beat title contenders East Bengal 2-1 in the Round 22 match of the I-League at the Balewadi Sports Complex here on Monday. For Pune FC it was a big win of the season as they beat top three teams in the I-League as they cancelled East Bengal’s Uga Okpara’s 17th minute strike to gain full points and move to the top-half of the table. For East Bengal the loss was their second in away games and remained with 41 points. Pune FC dominated play as they were creative and threatened from the word go. In the 15th minute, Pune FC had Venkatesh’s cross from the right to scare the East Bengal defence. Subhash Singh and Izumi Arata went in for the header, but ‘keeper Sandip Nandy managed to keep them in check.

Against the run of play, East Bengal, from their third corner scored. Skipper Saumik Dey took the corner from the left flag, which landed dangerously among the Pune FC defence and rolled on to an Uga Okpara, who finished the ball with ease. But the setback was not to demoralise Pune FC as they fought hard. Medio Lester Fernandes time and again was quick. On one instance, his cross had Keita narrowly miss connecting a header, but then minutes later a combined move involving Othallo Tabia and Keita saw Lester let-fly a stiff attempt on goal into the ‘keeper’s hands. Medio Izumi then had Gurjinder Kumar in the clean, but the latter fumbled inside the box. With the game past the half hour mark, Pune FC found the equaliser. J Prasad from the left sent in a cross that ended up in Keita’s possession and a one-on-one situation with the East Bengal keeper.

As Nandy moved out to evade the situation, Keita tried to lob, but the ball took flight. Keita using hipresence of mind did well to shield Nandy as the ball came down and won the battle as the ball went into the goal. East Bengal went all out when Pune FC levelled the match with Aussie striker Tolgay Osbey dangerously heading off a Rahim Nabi cross that made Subrata Paul to stretch. Changing ends, Pune FC survived a close moment in the 54th minute when Orgi Penn ran the ball to Tolgay, who in turn chipped over defender Lamine Tamba to Baljit Sahni, however, as the Pune FC keeper dived to collect, Sahni missed as well to let go of a good chance. Pune FC found the winner through a tireless run from Subhash from the left. The striker playing in only his second full start of the season outsmarted Nirmal Chhetri on the left and played the ball to a waiting Keita inside the penalty block. Keita tried on goal, which defender Okpara partially blocked with a slide. As the ball rolled goal-wards, Venkatesh did well to push the ball in. Towards the end, Tamba did well to block a Penn shot from inside the box to cap Pune FC’s memorable win. Keita was named man of the match.
Photo Courtesy - Goal.Com