KOCHI: Bengaluru FC managed to snap an eight match winless run as they beat East Bengal 2-0 in their Indian Super League encounter at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco on Tuesday.
A Cleiton Silva strike in the 12th minute and an own goal from East Bengal goalkeeper Debjit Majumder helped them pick up three crucial points which takes them to eighteen points and just three shy of fourth placed FC Goa.
Incidentally, it was also interim coach Naushad Moosa's first victory and the fact that it came against old rivals East Bengal would make it even sweeter. It was also their first clean sheet after 12 matches. As for East Bengal, the result leaves them languishing at tenth in the table and they are eight points adrift of a play-off berth.
In this match, there were no meltdowns for the Blues like the previous game against Hyderabad FC where they squandered a 2-0 lead to draw 2-2.
It was a great testament to their character as well since Bengaluru were missing their key players Erik Paartalu and Juanan but managed to put an impressive shift against Robbie Fowler's men who were in a good run of form coming into the game.
In the absence of the likes of Paartalu and Juanan, Bengaluru needed other senior players to step up and led by their skipper Sunil Chhetri, they played on the front foot. Bengaluru went onto take the lead as early as the 12th minute when their keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu launched a ball into the opposition box.
Chhetri managed to rise above his marker and knocked it down into the path of Cleiton who brought it under control with a brilliant first touch and smashed it past Debjit with an even better left-foot strike.
East Bengal enjoyed better possession but didn't trouble the Bengaluru defence.
Moosa suffered a setback when Leon Augustine had to be replaced in the first half itself after the young forward picked up an injury. But Parag Srivas who replaced Leon influenced the game in a massive way as he was involved in the second goal right at the stroke of half-time.
Right-back Rahul Bheke managed to pick Parag inside the box with a cross and the youngster's shot hit the post and ricocheted off the post. The second half was about game management and they defended resolutely to cancel out the threat of the likes of Bright Enobakhare and Aaron Holloway.
They even had the opportunity to score a third when Chhetri's thunderous strike from outside the box which hit the crossbar and went out. Bengaluru have thrown away two-goal leads in the past but they managed to put a brilliant defensive shift here to walk away with a much needed win that gets their season back on track.