East Bengal FC suffered a shock exit at the hands of Shillong Lajong FC in the quarter finals of the Durand Cup 2024 on 21st August 2024. The fans of Shillong at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium were packed to the rafters as they enjoyed a nice sight of their home team edging past the mighty East Bengal FC team.
It seemed as if Lei Shyllong, the divine deity who protects the people of Shillong from disasters helped the team beat Carles Cuadrat and co.
Playing in Shillong amidst a sea of Shillong Lajong fans is always tough and the Red and Gold Brigade faced a stern test in the quarter finals.
In this article, we take a look at 3 reasons why East Bengal lost to Shillong Lajong in the quarter finals of the Durand Cup 2024:
1. Packed crowd at Shillong
We have seen it in I-League 2023-24 that Shillong Lajong FC have always enjoyed a lot of crowd support. The fans have thronged the stadium in Shillong in large numbers and have extended their support to their home team.
Facing Jose Rodriguez’s men at home would always have been a tough job and Carles Cuadrat felt the heat on 21st August 2024, with thousands of faithful and loyal Shillong fans, cheering for their favourite side.
2. East Bengal were hapless in front of the defence
The Red and Gold Brigade’s defensive department looked brittle as they were not being able to clear the ball from the mouth of danger in their defensive third. Marcos Rudwere scored the goal in the 8th minute of the game for Shillong despite being marked inside the box as the East Bengal defender could not adjust to the pace of the game.
The team was bedevilled with defensive frailties and this bit them back in the quarter finals of the 133rd edition of the Durand Cup.
3. Counter Attacking strategy from Shillong Lajong
As East Bengal FC went berserk and pressed extremely hard for the equaliser, it opened up spaces for a possible counter-attack of Shillong Lajong. Jose Rodriguez’s men counter-attacked when East Bengal tried advancing through their attacking troops.
This counter attacking strategy paid rich dividends to The Red Dragons as they secure a win against East Bengal FC for the first time in 7 games.
Ahead of this game, East Bengal had a 8-6 winning record against the hosts and were touted as favourites to advance to the semi-finals.
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