East Bengal end Super Cup Campaign with draw against Aizawl
Early goals from Naorem Mahesh and Sumeet Passi were not enough as East Bengal let slip an early 2 goal lead for the 2nd match in a row. Needing a 4-0 win to have any chance of progressing into the playoffs of the Super Cup, the boys had to settle for a 2-2 draw against Aizawl FC and finish 3rd in the group.
Gaffer Stephen Constantine excluded Athul and Jake Jervis from the starting line up, opting to go with Kyriacou at right back and Sumeet Passi up front, a move that paid instant dividends as the front line looked pretty good raking up the two early goals. However, frailties in defence cost us again as the young Aizawl outfit hit back at the stroke of half time and just after it to complete the turnaround. Both sides continued to look for the winner, but couldn’t find the net in the closing stages and had to settle for the draw.
Although the boys remained unbeaten with 3 pts from their 3 games, Odisha FC who beat Hyderabad FC later in the night progressed to the playoffs with 7 points. The boys will have to look back into the tournament as a missed opportunity having largely been in winning positions in all the games, but squandering the same in every occasion. With the lessons taken from our campaign, East Bengal will look to bounce back stronger in the 2023-24 campaign