East Bengal FC drew 1-1 against Bengaluru FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium, Kolkata in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Sunday. The Blues held an overwhelming 67.9 per cent of the possession but needed the added time of the second half to grab a point from the fixture, ending East Bengal FC’s playoff charge.

The Red and Gold Brigade, placed eighth, have 28 points from 23 games now, and could get to a maximum of 31 with one game remaining, which would still fall short of the currently sixth-placed NorthEast United FC (32).

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East Bengal FC made a statement start with some telling moves that sparked a livewire inside the Bengaluru FC defensive third. They particularly found openings on the right side of the Blues’ backline, with Naorem Mahesh Singh embarking on an industrious run inside the 18-yard area before squaring the ball for Dimitrios Diamantakos.

The striker dazzled with his impressive footwork and launched a thunderous effort on target that was saved at the centre of the goal by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. That did not deter the East Bengal FC frontline, as they kept exploring dynamic ways to break their way through to get the lead.

The moment came through Saul Crespo, who was determined to find his footing within the penalty area. Saul momentarily lost balance though, but laid a short pass for Raphael Messi Bouli still. Messi Bouli cut in from the right, and shot from the centre of the box into the bottom left corner in the 11th minute, as Sandhu could not get his hands to the end of the shot.

The home side were however reduced to 10 men at the brink of the half-time whistle as Diamantakos was shown a red card following a feisty challenge. The Blues began optimising this one-man advantage by stretching the East Bengal FC defence through their quick sprints on the flank.

One such impeccably built final third sequence saw Naorem Roshan Singh receiving the ball deep on the left wing before he looped in a quick cross for Edgar Mendez in the middle of the box. Mendez’s left-footed shot landed way too above the target though in the 71st minute.

Alberto Noguera stepped up on the duties of delivering these lethal lateral balls, as he launched in a cross for Aleksandar Jovanovic in the 80th minute. Jovanovic’s header hit the right post and Ryan Williams tried to bury the rebound in but it was saved in the bottom left corner by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill.

Momentum finally swayed in Bengaluru FC’s favour at the 90th-minute mark as Nishu Kumar ended up handling the ball while marking Sunil Chhetri inside the 18-yard zone. Chhetri assumed spot-kick duties, dispatching the ball into the bottom right corner with thorough composure, earning the draw for the visitors.

East Bengal FC will play their next game against NorthEast United FC on March 8, whereas Bengaluru FC are set to meet Mumbai City FC on March 11.