Chennai City FC are just a win away from clinching the I-League title this season, and they might actually do it in the next match itself against Churchill Brothers on Friday. But East Bengal having won their tie against Real Kashmir 2-1 in a keenly contested I-League match, might feel they are still in the contest. With this victory, East Bengal moved to 36 points, only 4 points adrift of table toppers Chennai City. However, it was heart breaking defeat for Real Kashmir, as with this loss, they are out of the title race, currently at the third position on the table.
Throughout the match, East Bengal maintained better possession and dominated the early exchanges, creating pressure on the opposition defence. Real Kashmir goalkeeper Bilal made a decent effort to avoid Kassim Aidara from scoring a header. But, the Red and Golds were persistent and finally broke the deadlock in the 20th minute via Enrique Esqueda header. Ghanaian forward Tetteh was sent off in the 28th minute, a setback for Real Kashmir. Jaime Santos scored East Bengal’s second goal of the match in the 43rd minute of the match. Although, Katebe scored a penalty in the 67th minute but it was not enough, as the Kolkata giants were resilient.
