Aizawl FC, reduced to 10 men, played an inspired game to hold East Bengal to a 1-1 draw in their Hero I-League match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday.
The result wasn’t an ideal one for the Kolkata giant which needed a win to keep itself in the hunt for its maiden title. East Bengal is in the second spot with 33 points from 17 matches while Chennai City FC has 40 from 18.
Failing to get its strategy right, the host conceded an early goal when Alfred Jaryan sent a perfect cross to Leonce Dodoz.
The Ivorian chipped the ball over a charging East Bengal goalkeeper Rakshit Dagar.
The visitor could well have doubled the lead in the final minute of the opening half, but the referee disallowed Ansumana Kromah’s goal.
The Liberian forward came up with a smart move, screening Dagar who was trying to reach his colleagues upfront after intercepting a floater coming from the Aizawl midfield. Even as Dagar released the ball, Kroma intercepted it and slotted home only to see the referee Umesh Bora hauling him up for infringement and booking him for the offence.
East Bengal doubled the initiative after the break but continued to remain off-target despite creating a number of scoring opportunities. Coach Alejandro Menendez introduced the fifth foreigner in Spaniard Toni Dovale in the 57th minute, looking to spruce up the attack.
Better coordination
This gave the home attack better direction as the combination between Dovale and Samad Ali Mallick on the right provided an opportunity in the 66th minute. Dovale set it up for an overlapping Samad whose cross into the box saw Enrique Esqueda find the target.
Aizawl was reduced to 10 in the 70th minute when it lost defender Kareem Omolaja Nurain who was sent off for dissent after the referee had booked him for an infringement. East Bengal tried to make the most of the number advantage but failed.
The result: East Bengal 1 (Enrique Esqueda 66) drew with Aizawl FC 1 (Leonce Dodoz 23).
