Missed Chances cost Red and Gold Brigade in loss to Kerala Blasters

The boys and the Red and Gold faithful will be left wondering what could have been after a frantic finish saw the Blasters take home all 3 points in an evenly matched affair at the VYBK.

Needing a win to reverse the recent slide in form, the Gaffer opted to go with Siverio and Cleiton upfront with Nandha and Mahesh on the wing which meant midfielder Borja had to miss out on a starting spot. Both sides hustled for the initiative in the opening minutes but struggled to create any meaningful openings in the early proceedings. Within the first 25 minutes as many as 4 yellow cards were shared by the two teams, with both defences determined to keep the ball away from the net. The boys managed to keep the majority of the ball but couldn’t find the cutting edge in search of the opening goal. Post the 30 minute mark, Kerala took the lead via Daisuke Sakai who scored from the pass supplied by the in-form Adrian Luna giving KBFC the advantage to carry into the break.

Coach Carles reacted by making two subs at the break replacing Khabra for Souvik and Saul for Hijazi Maher, who made his debut for the red and gold faithful. Soon after the gaffer also brought in Nishu for Mandar as the quest for level footing continued. It was however not till the 83rd minute when the boys would get their best chance at an equaliser as a charging Sachin clipped Mahesh inside the box prompting the referee to award a rightful penalty. However, Captain Cleiton uncharacteristically missed the penalty, despite having a retake opportunity as the opposition custodian made two incredible saves to safeguard the lead. Minutes later Diamantakos scored the 2nd goal for the Blasters giving them a 2 goal cushion at the stroke of the 90th. Cleiton Silva subsequently converted from the spot in injury time to pull one back but it was too little too late as the referee blew the full time whistle moments later to draw curtains on a tough night at the VYBK.

Speaking to the media after the match, Coach Cuadrat rued the missed chances and said that the team needs to recover mentally after some tough results in the last few weeks. The gaffer believes the team will come back stronger after the break.

With 3 losses on the bounce, the international break couldn’t have come at a better time for Coach Cuadrat and the boys, as the 20 day window provides the perfect opportunity to introspect on shortcomings and find the right balance going into the next phase of the season. East Bengal FC will next take on Chennaiyin FC at the Marina Arena on the 25th of November.