East Bengal dash Real Kashmir's title aspirations with 2-1 win

Real Kashmir FC had a small but vociferous crowd behind them but had a man less on the turf as East Bengal notched a 2-1 win to keep their slender title hopes alive in the I-League here Thursday.

On the other hand, the result at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium put paid to Real Kashmir's aspirations of winning the league on their maiden season in top-flight.

Originally slated to be held in Srinagar, the match was shifted to the national capital two days ago in view of the prevailing "uncertainty" in the Kashmir valley following the Pulwama terror attack.

Enrique Esqueda (20') opened the scoring while Jaime Santos found the net in the 43rd minute, the Spanish duo giving the visitors a 2-0 buffer going into the second half.

Aaron Katebe (67') pulled one back for the 'home' team when he converted from the spot, but that was not enough to salvage something for the hosts.

East Bengal are second in the standings with 36 points while Real Kashmir are out of the race with 33 points. A win against Churchill Brothers on Friday, though, will be enough for Chennai City FC to claim their maiden title.

While the Kolkata heavyweights controlled the first half, they seemed a bit rattled in the second, especially after Katebe hit the back of the net, Real Kashmir created a couple of clear-cut chances that went abegging.

Real Kashmir's biggest chance came in the 87th minute but Mason Robertson, son of coach David, failed to equalise despite having the entire goal at his mercy.

In a last-ditch attempt, Robertson replaced Bazie Armand with Gnohore Krizo in the 82nd minute, but the sub could not get the goal the coach and his team wanted.

These were after Real Kahsmir got a lifeline through a strike by Katebe, who was felled by the goalkeeper Rakshit Dagar.

Before that, Esqueda headed home from a Laldanmawia Ralte cross to hand his team the lead, and it was no surprise considering East Bengal's domination.

Playing what was supposed to be their home game at a neutral venue, Real Kashmir were reduced to 10 men when Abednedo Kofi Tetteh was sent
He added, "This stadium is not like our home ground, but more like Salt Lake. It has been brilliant working with my players who never complain."