East Bengal FC put on a top display of counter attacking football, led by forward Naorem Singh’s three assists, as they sealed a 3-1 win against Jamshedpur FC at the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur on Sunday. Both teams had made a host of changes – three from the visitors, four from the home team – following last week’s results, but it was the Torch Bearers who put behind the disappointment of throwing away a two-goal lead to seal the points this time around.
East Bengal FC took control of the game early on as Suhair VP put them in front just 90 seconds into the game. Jamshedpur FC were caught napping during a throw-in routine down the leg and allowed too much space for Naorem to lift his head and put in a dipping cross towards the far post. Suhair produced a low diving header to slot the ball into the net.
Cleiton Silva would soon get into the action to put EBFC 2-0 ahead in the first half for the second game in a row. In the 26th minute, Silva picked up the ball after a Jamshedpur FC corner and drove it forward before releasing Naorem on the left. Naorem kept the defenders at bay as Silva made a lung-busting run towards the box, to receive what would be the second of Naorem’s inch-perfect deliveries of the night. Silva rose with the ball on the bounce to slot it in.
Jamshedpur FC started making moves after that wake-up call, with Jay Emmanuel-Thomas finding himself in great positions in a first half where the teams took a combined 13 shots on target. Towards the end of the half, Jamshedpur FC were awarded a penalty after Lalchungnunga was found to have elbowed Harry Sawyer while contesting a header. Thomas got his chance to get on the scoresheet and took it to make it 2-1 at half-time.
Having been caught after being 2-0 up in their last game, EBFC came out in the second half determined to stretch their lead. Naorem was on hand once again to produce the magic. He picked up the ball on the left side and chose to slip a perfect grounded pass between the two central defenders and the goalkeeper as Silva burst through to find his second goal of the night. That 58th minute goal also put Silva on top of the scoring charts for this season.
After securing another two-goal lead through attack, EBFC then solidified in defence, providing fewer scoring chances for Jamshedpur FC in the second half and sealing three points on the road.
The loss was Jamshedpur FC’s fourth in a row and they now sit in 10th place with four points in seven games. They stay at home to host Kerala Blasters next on December 4. EBFC’s third win of the season pushes them up to 8th place with nine points from eight games. They now get a two-week break before they travel to Hyderabad on December 9.
Key stats:
- Thomas and Silva both took 8 shots on goal, but only the latter got on the scoresheet
- EBFC keeper Kamalit Singh faced 15 shots in total but only conceded from a penalty
- No player on the pitch put in as many as Naorem’s 7 crosses on the night
A thread we had done prior to the start of the 2021-22 season on Naorem Mahesh
@NaoremMahesh enjoyed a great I-league 2020/21. So how did he fare?
Here’s a stats driven analysis of Naorem Mahesh Singh – New @sc_eastbengal midfielder. @NaoremMahesh
(Visuals and Analysis: @pathania_samar) https://t.co/l3T3WYbRbY
Player overview 2020/21
Age-22
Position- midfielder/ winger 90
Goals-2
Assist-2
xG- 2.45
xA- 3.01
Attacking output
– Mahesh created the most shot assists (last action prior to a teammate having a shot) p90 in the entire league.
– lots of successful attacking actions p90. He was a real standout for Sudeva not only in midfield but entire team.
Creativity
-Again amongst the elite in terms of key passes p90 and xA. Probably unfortunate to only have 2 assists in the league.
– once again amongst the best in deep completions(non cross pass targeted within 20m of opponents goal) and smart passes(creative pass that attempts at breaking opp. defensive line and gain attacking advantage)
-constantly attempts and quite successful at playing "killer balls"
Chance creation method
– though does sometimes play in the wings, he plays a lot more through balls than crosses. A key factor in his game.
-often tries to play the ball on defenders blind side. He may not be too successful but he attempts often so tends to always create chances.
Conclusion
Naorem Mahesh Singh is one of the few Indian players who can play in the creative roles. Not many Indians get the chance to play these roles but he’s shown everyone what he can do. If given the opportunity, this could be a massive season for him.
Originally tweeted by The Away End (@theawayendco) on 4th September 2021.
One Comment