A goal from Matti Steinmann helped SC East Bengal to a 1-0 victory over Bengaluru FC in Match 52 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the Fatorda Stadium on Saturday. Debjit Majumder’s performance was also integral to his team’s win as Robbie Fowler’s side stretched their unbeaten run to five matches.

• Matti Steinmann scored the only goal of the night for SC East Bengal in the 20th minute.
• Debjit Majumder made a couple of important saves to secure the win for SC East Bengal. 

SC East Bengal found an opening early into the game after the ball fell to Narayan Das in the 8th minute. The defender’s effort was pushed away by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. At the other end, Bengaluru came close to breaking the deadlock in the 15th minute but Cleiton Silva’s header bounced and went over the crossbar.

A brilliant finish from Steinmann opened the scoring for SC East Bengal on the 20-minute mark. The move began after new-signing Ankit Mukherjee switched play from the right to the left and the cross fell to Narayan. The experienced defender played the ball towards Steinmann and a deft touch from the German midfielder secured the lead for the Kolkata-based club.

In a bid to level the score, Blues midfielder Erik Paartalu attempted a long range shot three minutes after the drinks break but nothing came of it. Then a headed pass from Sunil Chhetri in the 42nd minute was blocked by Scott Neville as Bengaluru entered the half time a goal down.

The Blues kept the chances coming as the second half kicked off. Chhetri found an opportunity to score in the 49th minute after combining well with substitute Kristian Opseth but his shot was parried away by Debjit. The goalkeeper was called to action again in the 62nd minute when Chhetri found himself with another chance but Debjit got his hand on the ball and kept his side’s lead intact.

Bright Enobakhare almost doubled the lead in the 78th minute after beating a Bengaluru defender but the striker was denied by a crucial save from Gurpreet. Three minutes later, SC East Bengal’s Nigerian forward was in the thick of the action again. Bright made a run into his attacking third but a timely tackle from the Bengaluru goalkeeper dispossessed him.

In search of an equaliser, Bengaluru pushed men forward. In the 85th minute, young defender Namgyal Bhutia received the ball and made a run into the SC East Bengal box before laying it for Erik Paartalu. The shot, however, was well-blocked by Daniel Fox.

Three minutes later, it was Jacques Maghoma who made an important block to deny Bengaluru striker Deshorn Brown’s shot on goal. SC East Bengal hung on to their lead thanks to a solid defensive display and registered their second win in 10 games, meanwhile, Bengaluru suffered their fourth successive defeat.  

Hero of the Match: Debjit Majumder

A strong showing between the sticks by Debjit ensured a clean sheet and three points for SC East Bengal against Bengaluru FC. He saved all the five shots that he faced and also made two punches and three clearances.

Other Match Awards:

Club Award: SC East Bengal

DHL Winning Pass of the Match Award: Bright Enobakhare (SC East Bengal)

Watch the Match Highlights here: