East Bengal will take on Goa in Tilak Maidan to add one more victory to its debut season. Bengal earned its first victory against Odisha on Sunday, while Goa moved to third in the table after a 2-1 triumph over Hyderabad.
Match Timings: Dec 06, 7:30 PM IST
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The hosts are back in action for the first time in 2021 with a Wednesday clash with East Bengal. After a slow start, Goa picked the momentum and only behind the Mariners and Mumbai in the table. Bengaluru’s recent defeats also helped them to move ahead in the standings. They faced Hyderabad in its last outing before the new year break and earned the full three points. Both teams canceled out each other in the competitive first half. Goa had a good chance when Angulo headed out a Brandon Fernandes cross in the final few minutes before the break. Joao Victor got an opportunity to score for Odisha in the 54th minute, but he couldn’t trouble Mohammad Nawaz. Aridane Santana opened the scoring few minutes later through a good pass from Ashis Rai.
Nizams were on the driver’s seat, and Goa saw a goal from the substitute Ishan Pandita through Edu Bedia in the 87th minute. Mohammad Yasir got a half-chance to get a winner, but his shot went just wide of the target. Season’s top scorer Igor Angulo offered a winner in injury-time to get another win for Goa. Under Juan Ferrando, the Gaurs had missed the spark they had in the previous edition. They lacked in the transition and failed to avail the chances. Ishan Pandita’s performance is a big positive who played his second game for Goa. Igor Angulo has scored nine of 12 goals scored by his team, and his ability to strike at crucial moments is terrific. Juan Ferrando will hope to see more goals from Brandon Fernandes, Jorge Ortiz, and Alexander Romario to reduce the burden from the main striker.
Meanwhile, East Bengal secured its first victory of the debut season last Sunday, and they took eight matches to achieve this. From a couple of games, the spark was there, and Bengal looked a better side. They are still in the bottom two, but previous performances can better its chances in the points table. They are undefeated from the last three matches. In the previous encounter on Sunday, Bengal looked better from the starting of the game, and Jacques Maghoma was in fine touch. Raju Gaikwad made a long throw for Anthony Pilkington, and the Irish player scored his first goal in the competition. The trio Maghoma, Pilkington, and Matti Steinmann dominated Odisha’s defense. Maghoma was the big scar for Odisha, and his effort finally paid off as he doubled the lead in the 39th minute through the pass from Matti Steinmann. Odisha missed out two easy chances, and Bengal made it 3-0 when Bright Enobakhare got the better of Arshdeep Singh in the 88th minute. In injury-time, Odisha got a consolation goal as Danny Fox scored an own goal.
Bengal improved its game in the last three matches, and with the new signing Gaikwad, they have boosted its lineup. Anthony Pilkington got his first goal of the season, and Goa cannot deny Jacques Maghoma, who is in terrific form. If he had another fine day in the field, Bengal would be the tough opponent to beat. The Gold and Reds are only behind Kerala on goal difference, and Fowler would look for the full three points here to better its position.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
East Bengal
Debjit Majumder; Scott Neville, Daniel Fox, Raju Gaikwad, Matti Steinmann, Mohammed Rafique, Jacques Maghoma, Anthony Pilkington, Bikash Jairu, Milan Singh, Haobam Singh
Current form: W D D L D
Previous match: 3-1 victory over Hyderabad
Goa
Mohammad Nawaz; Seriton Fernandes, James Donachie, Ivan Gonzalez, Saviour Gama, Lenny Rodrigues, Edu Bedia, Jorge Ortiz, Brandon Fernandes, Alexander Jesuraj, Igor Angulo
Current form: W W L L W
Previous match: 2-1 victory over Hyderabad
Key Players
East Bengal
Jacques Maghoma
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Matti Steinmann
1 goal & 2 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
Goa
Igor Angulo
9 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Alexander Jesuraj
3 assists in Indian Football League 2020-21
