EAST BENGAL HAVE SUFFERED a massive setback in their quest for a ninth straight Calcutta Football League title, losing to Peerless in a shock 2-1 result.
Playing in front of a full house audience at their own stadium, the Red and Golds let in an early goal when Kromah took advantage of a mis-judgement from Johny Acosta to find the net. At half-time, the score remained 1-0 in favour of Peerless, despite East Bengal producing many chances and keeping constant pressure on their opponents.
The second half began in a similar fashion. But it wasn't until halfway through the second period that East Bengal finally found an equalizer, thanks to Kassim Aidara tapping in a cross from the left.
But minutes later the East Bengal defence paid for its own mistake as youngster Narahari Shreshtha's screamer found the net. From here on, it was a game of containment for Peerless. The referee added 8 minutes at the end of the second half but the Red and Golds still could not find a second equalizer, and fell to their first defeat of the season.
You can watch the entire match right here...
This loss leaves East Bengal on 20 points from 9 matches, which means Mohun Bagan (23 points from 9 matches) have a lead at the top of the table.
Both teams have two matches left apiece, which means just one win may be enough for Mohun Bagan to claim their 30th CFL title, thanks to their superior goal difference (+18 compared to East Bengal's +12).