East Bengal picked up three crucial points in their fourth I-League match this season as they edged past Churchill Brothers 3-2 on Saturday evening at the Barasat Stadium.
Willis Plaza scored a couple of goals with Katsumi Yusa providing the assist on both occasions, with the winner coming in the seventh minute of injury time in the second half. It must be noted that the striker has been under the scanner after missing loads of chances in the earlier games.
Despite netting twice, the 30-year-old was wasteful in front of goal as he missed chances galore much to the frustration of the assembled East Bengal fans.
“Plaza didn't give up. He kept his cool. He tried a lot. He was getting criticized. He was mentally strong. Nobody was supporting except the players. I am happy for him,” said coach Khalid Jamil.
The head coach of the Red and Gold brigade mentioned that it was important for them to win full points from the tie in order to keep themselves in the hunt for the I-League title.
“It was good that we got the three points. I am happy that we got the win. There was a lot of tension but it was not about Plaza. The main thing is to get a positive result. In the previous game (against Shillong Lajong), we scored five goals. The next game was always going to be difficult. They knew how we play. We got three points and that is important,” he mentioned.
However, the former Mumbai FC coach acknowledged that his team are leaking in goals, an area which needs to be addressed.
“We are conceding silly goals. This is a weak point. Next time we have to be careful. We have to work hard. This is a very important win as it gives us a lot of confidence. We lost points in the first two matches but we are slowly recovering now,” he concluded.
East Bengal next face Chennai City FC in an away game on the 22nd of this month.