I-League: East Bengal End Disappointing Campaign With A Home Draw Against Viva

And De Ridder's afternoon got worse, as Viva Kerala took an early lead in the 10^th minute when young striker CS Sabeeth netted home a good pass from Sirajuddin from the right.

However, the Kolkata side gave an apt reply when Hammond let fly a grounded cross from the left to find Nabi in the box. The East Bengal skipper controlled the ball and took a crack on goal which was somehow saved by Viva goalkeeper Sahinlal, but Budhiram Tudu was alert enough to score from the follow up to level the scoreline.

The South Indian side continued to impress, and a shot fron CS Sabeeth sailed inches above the bar to bring relief to the home side. De Ridder decided to bring in Bhaichung Bhutia to replace the goal scorer Budhiram, who seemed to have picked up a knock in the 30^th minute.

The home side too started building some good moves, and Beiokhokhei initiated a wonderful opportunity only to see it cleared off the goal line by Bello Rassaq for a corner.

The second half started with East Bengal throwing more men up front. East Bengal won a free kick just outside the penalty area in the 51^st minute, but the shot by Ghanaian Abel Hammond sailed above the crossbar, causing no major danger for Viva Kerala.

Beiokhokhei continued his good work in midfield and it seemed like he had been brought down in the box by goalkeeper Sahinlal, but the referee felt otherwise and awarded only a corner in the 56^th minute.

Ridder made his second change of the game and replaced Alvito D'Cunha with young Sanju Pradhan in midfield. Viva coach Sreedharan too utilized his reserve bench by bringing in Shibinlal to replace the ineffective Anish in the midfield.

East Bengal got a golden opportunity to seal the match in the 78^th minute when Beiokhokhei was played through on goal by Bhaichung Bhutia, but the former's shot struck the crossbar and went out for a goal kick.

The match finally ended with both teams sharing the spoils. Viva Kerala striker and goal scorer Sabeeth was awarded the Man of the Match trophy. The result saw the Kolkata side move upto 8th, while Viva remain 10th.