East Bengal's lucky escape against Aizawl FC in I-League opener

KOLKATA: Trevor Morgan, in his second stint with East Bengal, sought a dream start in his team's latest bid for the elusive I-League crown. Instead, a nightmare was staring at him and his players till the very end at the Barasat stadium on Saturday.
East Bengal were trailing 0-1 till the 89th minutes against Aizawl FC, thanks to their former captain Gurwinder Singh's own goal in the first-half injury time.Morgan was forced to unleash Ugandan defender Ivan Bukenya and Trinidad and Tobago striker Willis Plaza in the second half, a little over three days after their arrival in the city.
Morgan's desperation paid off in the end, when Bukenya headed in off a melee following Mehtab Hossain's corner, sparing the team of suffering opening blues against a team which was reinstated in the league despite being relegated in the previous season.
While East Bengal heaved a sigh of relief with their lucky escape, Aizawl fell just short of scripting an upset. The visitors looked in control of the proceedings for most period of the time and could have easily emerged a convincing winner had Lalruatthara's header not ricocheted off the crosspiece and Albert Zohmingmawaia not failed to beat East Bengal goalkeeper Rehenesh TP from close.
Morgan predictably gave Wednson Anselme his competitive debut in the red-and-gold jersey starting the Haitian behind Mohammad Rafique in what looked to be a 4-4-1-1 formation. Aizawl FC coach Khalid Jamil responded it with a 4-1-4-1 strategy, employing his former Mumbai FC ward Jayesh Rane in the key midfield holding position.
Following a cagey and cautious start, in which East Bengal's first shot on goal came only in the 17th minute, the home team could have got an early edge had Wedson not failed to make his under-22 teammate Nikhil Poojary's magnificent lay-off from the right.
Aizawl FC announced their attacking intention in the 35th minute, thanks to a miscommunication between East Bengal goalkeeper and his defenders. However, Kamo, with an open net in front of him, miscued his shot.
Nigerian Kamo came calling again, forcing East Bengal concede the goal in a bizarre fashion.
As Kamo, set up by Jayesh, was preparing to line up his shot from the edge of the box, Gurwinder came from behind in a bid to clear the danger and instead landed it into his own net.
The reversal threatened to Morgan's script and East Bengal coach reacted to the impending crisis by introducing Plaza at the start of the second session and Bukenya in the 66th minute.
Wedson was a far cry from his Dhaka Dhanmondi form which captivated the city during the Bangladesh outfit's passage to the IFA Shield final three years ago.
Plaza, who arrived here on Thursday, could be excused for jet leg, but he showed that he had in him a skillful artist ready to rekindle East Bengal's hopes.
Aizawl under Khalid Jamil looked more resilient and disciplined, and it was their lack of finish which denied them their first win in three meetings with East Bengal.
However, they were charged with playing with 12 men in the final couple of minutes. As Kamo – who was receiving treatment on the sidelines but was subsequently replaced by Lalthakima in the 90th minute --- came back into the field without being aware of his coach's decision, referee Om Prakash Thakur duly booked him.
It remains to be seen how match commissioner Rizwan ul Haq deals with this violation of rule by the otherwise perfect Aizawl FC.