Spaniards Marcos Jimenez Espada scored in the 68th minute and Jaime Santos converted a penalty nine minutes later to seal a 2-0 win for East Bengal over defending champion Chennai City FC in their I-League clash at the Nehru Stadium here on Saturday.
It was the red and gold army that took early control of the game. It marched forward and threatened to bulldoze the otherwise strong Chennai City backline, manned by its ever-reliable captain Roberto Eslava.
The Chennai men looked a bit confused with those speedy runs by the Kolkata side. In the 15th minute, one such fast-paced move earned the visiting side a penalty.
The host tried hard to stop an East Bengal move only to find the ball strike the hand of its defender and the referee was quick to show to the spot.
It broke the hearts of the Chennai fans but not Nauzet Santana, the Chennai City custodian. Santos, who took the shot, hammered it hard but Santana dived full length to his right to effect a smart save. And the crowd roared in delight and the Chennai City men heaved a huge sigh of relief.
Jan Muzangu, the 19-year-old loanee from FC Basel, made his debut for the home side in a bid to boost the front-line but he could not do much.
Japanese forward Katsumi Yusa did pull out a few tricks from his bag and, so did Adolfo Miranda, better known as Fito, but failed to create telling contributions. In the end, it was East Bengal which went home happy with a well-deserved win after having suffered three defeats in a row.
The result: Chennai City FC 0 lost to East Bengal 2 (Marcos Eusebio 68, Jamie Santos 77-pen).
