East Bengal denied Mumbai a point in their final I-League match at the Cooperage Ground as the Red-and-Golds stormed to a 4-0 victory which confirmed that they ended the league in the third position with 33 points.
Mumbai finished bottom of the table with 12 points, scoring only nine goals all season and a paltry two at home. They may be relegated, depending on the All India Football Federation’s roadmap for the next season.
A swift counter by East Bengal saw them take an early lead through Baikash Jairu who found himself in space before unleashing a left-footed strike past Laxmikant Kattimani. Willis Plaza, returning after a suspension earned in the Kolkata derby, scored with a ferocious shot as Kattimani was beaten all ends up.
Mumbai and their medio Hitesh Sharma shone in glimpses but it was East Bengal who would get the better of the hosts once again, as Jairu turned provider this time around, feeding Wedson Anselme who did not miss.
It was Plaza that finished Mumbai off with a shot from outside the box which crept inside the post.
Blues end season on a high
Bengaluru FC finished the season with four straight wins to confirm a fourth place finish in their fourth season in the I-League. The West Block Blues were in full cry early on as Gursimrat Gill swung in a cross which Daniel Lalhlimpuia tapped into the goal to give BFC an early lead.
Bengaluru’s second came in the 35th minute when Churchill keeper Naveen Kumar completely missed a ball he raced out to collect. Udanta Singh latched on to the pass, kept his composure, lost a defender before shooting home.
The Blues extended their lead once again, this time in the closing stages as Mandar Rao Dessai sent a long ball forward for Lenny Rodrigues to attack. The midfielder cut it back for Salam Ranjan Singh to pass to the onrushing Dessai, who took a touch and then another before unleashing a curling shot past Naveen. The goal was Dessai’s first for the club.
Bengaluru end their campaign with 33 points, which Churchill are sixth with 20.
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