Questionable refereeing decision sees SC East Bengal and Kerala Blasters play a drab 1-1 draw
SC East Bengal‘s quest to find their first win of the 2021/22 Indian Super League season continues as they shared spoils in a drab 1-1 draw against Kerala Blasters at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Sunday. Australian central defender Tomislav Mrcela gave the Red and Golds the lead in the 37th minute while Alvaro Vazquez scored an equalizer in the 44th minute.
East Bengal head coach Manolo Diaz made four changes to the starting lineup from the previous game. Daniel Chima Chukwu and Semboi Haokip were handed starts, while young midfielder Lalrinliana Hnamte also returned to the starting XI. Having conceded four goals in his last match, Suvam Sen made way for Sankar Roy in goal while Naorem Mahesh Singh, Bikash Jairu, and Amir Dervisevic were limited to substitute roles on the evening.
For the Tuskers, Sandeep Singh and Prabshukhan Gill replaced the injured Harmanjot Khabra and Albino Gomes respectively, while Prasanth K was rewarded with a starting spot by head coach Ivan Vukomanovic for scoring the winner against Odisha in the last game benching the young Vincy Baretto for the clash between the two heavyweights.
The Blasters had a bright start to the match as Vasquez found the back of the net but the Spaniard saw his goal ruled out bizarrely. An effort from Puitea struck Amarjit Singh’s hand and the ball landed kindly for Vazquez, who slotted it past Roy comfortably but the goal was later ruled out after discussion with the assistant referee.
The Tuskers almost conceded minutes after the incident as Antonio Perosevic’s strong effort forced Prabshukhan Gill into making a fantastic save. Both teams had some half-chances until Mrcela broke the deadlock for the Red and Golds in the 37th minute when he jumped highest from a fabled Raju Gaikwad long throw and made a great connection to ripple the back of the net.
Alvaro Vazquez had a good day at the office
However, in a span of just seven minutes, the Australian central defender went from being a hero to a villain as Vazquez’s long-range effort took a horrible deflection off him and went past Roy to restore parity in the match.
In the second half, Vukomanovic brought in Chencho Gyeltshen to add more fresh legs to their attack but the Bhutanese speedster could not have much of an influence on the match. There were a few hopeful attempts from either side in the initial minutes of the second period but no clear-cut openings were carved by either team.
Diaz played his cards around the 70th minute when he introduced Wahengbam Angousana and Amir Dervisevic to establish dominance in the midfield region while Kerala’s Serbian manager brought on Nishu Kumar.
The 24-year-old fullback made some daunting runs down the flank and even drilled in a couple of dangerous crosses, but his teammates were not on the same wavelength to be at the receiving end of his crosses.
Puitea created another good chance for Vazquez around the 70-minute mark but the Spaniard’s heavy touch made it easy for the East Bengal defenders to clear it away to safety. As a last throw of the dice, Vukomanovic brought on Jorge Pereyra Diaz to replace Vazquez and the Argentine forward almost sealed all three points for the Tuskers.
The Platense loanee found the back of the net in the 88th minute when he headed a lofted ball from Adrian Luna past Roy but Kerala found their joy cut short once again by the linesman, who ruled the goal out for offside. The replays clearly showed that the Argentine was in an onside position when the ball was crossed in spelling the end to a bad day for the referee and his assistants.
Continuing the tradition, the encounter between these two iconic clubs has failed to produce a winner for the third consecutive time. Kerala Blasters will now take on league leaders Mumbai City on Sunday, while East Bengal will look for their first win this season when they meet NorthEast United on Friday.