NEW DELHI: Another match, another loss for SC East Bengal, this time against NorthEast United FC at the Tilak Maidan stadium on Saturday. While the performance of the players was much better compared to their previous outings, a deflected own goal and a counter-attack put paid to their hopes of opening their account this season.
The loss meant the Red and Golds remain rooted to the bottom of the table with three losses in as many matches. They have conceded 7 goals so far without netting one themselves. NorthEast continued their unbeaten start to the season and are now second after four games with eight points having won two and drawn two.
The ISL debutants started strongly and dominated possession early on and were unlucky not to have been awarded a penalty in the 20th minute after a foul on Jacques Maghoma inside the box. The sucker punch came in the 33rd minute when a Kwesi Appiah cross hit SCEB defender Surchandra Singh and rolled into their own net.
The Kolkata giants were again denied a penalty in the second half for two hand balls inside the box but the referee Mb Santhosh Kumar waved it off. They tried to push for the equaliser, sending men forward. NorthEast defended stoutly and they tried to hit them on the counter and that ploy worked out in added time. Substitute VP Suhair rushed forward and sent in an inch-perfect low cross towards Rochharzela in the middle. The super-sub slotted the ball home to double his side's lead.
Fowler was far from impressed with the refereeing and made it known post-match. "We definitely deserved more from this game. If not a win, at least a draw. We deserved two penalties. It's so frustrating. We should have won a penalty in one of the previous games too. I'm not saying we depend only on these decisions but imagine us scoring those. The scenario of the game would have changed. I know the referees have a hard job in the middle. But the consistency of the bad decisions is too hard to digest."