I-League: Plaza's brace tightens East Bengal's grip on top spot

Riding on Willis Plaza's brace, the Red & Golds consolidated their lead on top of the I-League table with 16 points from six games as they defeated Mumbai FC 2-0 at the Barasat Stadium on Wednesday.

The first-half mauling by Plaza was enough for East Bengal to record their fifth win of the league in as many games. Ever since settling for a draw in their first game against Aizawl FC, the Red & Golds have looked menacing and have raided all their opponents, including current champions Bengaluru FC.

Mumbai FC, throughout the game, could not match up to the energy that their rivals brought on the pitch. This was the fourth loss of

their campaign.

Ten minutes into the game, Willis Plaza brought down with his chest a cross by Rehul Bheke and shot the ball into the far post.

Only seven minutes later, Plaza's left foot did the magic once more when he controlled the ball befuddling Shallum Pires and hammered the

ball home.

While the home team was launching plethora of attacks, Mumbai FC struggled for possession but even when they had their chances, they just didn't make enough of it. Farukh Chowdhary and Pires were unusually subdued.

The rest of the game was more like the Red & Gold brigade sitting back and frequently making inroads while Mumbai FC failed to make any impact on the pitch.

In another game, substitute Brandon Vanlalremdika's late heroics helped Aizawl FC grab a 1-0 win against DSK Shivajians. The match never rose to great heights and most of it was a midfield battle.

After becoming more fluent in the last ten minutes of the match, Brandon converted his chance in the 89th minute to help Aizawl register their fourth win and accumulate 13 points to sit on the third spot.

In the other game, debutants Minerva FC, who were thrashed 5-0 by East Bengal in their last game, managed to hold Churchill Brothers in a goal-less draw at the Guru Nanak Stadium.

Both the teams played attacking football in an attempt to blunt any attack from their opponents but despite end-to-end action, wasted chances ensured that the scorers weren't troubled.