New Delhi: Real Kashmir FC had a small but vociferous crowd behind them but had a man less on the turf as East Bengal notched a 2-1 win to keep their slender title hopes alive in the I-League here Thursday.
On the other hand, the result at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium put paid to Real Kashmir’s aspirations of winning the league on their maiden season in top-flight.
The game was originally slated to be played in Srinagar, but was shifted to the national capital two days ago in view of the prevailing ‘uncertainty’ in the Kashmir valley following the Pulwama terror attack.
Enrique Esqueda (20th) opened the scoring while Jaime Santos found the net in the 43rd minute, the Spanish duo giving the visitors a 2-0 buffer going into the second half.
Aaron Katebe (67′) pulled one back for the ‘home’ team when he converted from the spot, but that was not enough to salvage something for the hosts.
East Bengal are second in the standings with 36 points while Real Kashmir are out of the race with 33 points. A win against Churchill Brothers, Friday, though, will be enough for Chennai City FC to claim their maiden title.
Real Kashmir’s best chance came in the 87th minute but Mason Robertson, son of coach David, failed to equalise despite having the entire goal at his mercy.
PTI
