Jobby Justin scored once and played a part in the other to help East Bengal defeat Mohun Bagan 2-0 in the return match of the Hero I-League here on Sunday.
Watched by a near-capacity crowd of around 63,000, East Bengal produced a goal in each half to prevail over Bagan for the second time this season — It had won the first match 3-2. Justin’s assist saw Spaniard Jamie Santos score the opener late in the first half before the East Bengal forward nodded home a corner in the second-half.
East Bengal benefited from being well organised, the red-and-gold brigade finding its attack route with authority and purpose. The Bagan players, on the other hand, seemed to lack positional sense and the forays ran out of steam even before reaching the strike zone.
A misunderstanding between the East Bengal defenders Borja Gomez and Kamalpreet Singh gave Aser Dipanda Dicka a chance in the second minute. The Cameroonian’s attempted lob over the advancing East Bengal custodian Rakshit Dagar failed to produce a goal as the latter recovered to protect the citadel.
As the intensity of the contest increased, East Bengal made a vociferous appeal for a penalty after Bagan goalkeeper Shilton Paul brought down the onrushing Justin inside the penalty box in the 18th minute. However, the referee sought to overlook it. The official also did not penalise East Bengal midfielder Jaime Santos who hitting Dicka in an off-the-ball incident in the 49th.
Breaking through
The hard-working Justin scripted the opening goal, snatching the ball from Bagan defender Kingsley Eze on the right flank and setting up Santos inside the box. The latter finished the move in style to put East Bengal 1-0 up in the 35th. Bagan tried to make a comeback after the break and almost equalised, but Sony Norde’s corner was nodded on to the crosspiece by Kingsley. Darren Caldera went for the rebound before Dicka slotted home, only to see the goal being disallowed as the assistant referee signalled an infringement. However, Bagan’s hopes vanished when Justin flicked home a corner in the 75th minute.
The results: At Kolkata: Mohun Bagan 0 lost to East Bengal 2 (Jaime Santos 35, Jobby Justin 75). At Imphal: Neroca FC 0 drew with Aizawl FC 0.
