The East Bengal goal under siege from the Muktijoddha Sansad attackers at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday evening. Picture by Santosh Ghosh

Calcutta: If East Bengal coach Subhas Bhowmick was expecting a defensive display by Bangladesh?s Muktijoddha Sandad, his onfield strategy did not show it. Goalless at home isn?t the best way to start for any team in the AFC Cup with stronger teams lined up and only the fifth match being in Bangladesh?s home turf.

East Bengal?s misses were mostly in the form of scrambles in goalmouth melee, because whatever tidy moves that the home team tried, the Muktijoddha goalmouth at the Salt Lake Stadium Wednesday wasn?t too accommodating.

The Bangla team, on the contrary, did have one shot come off the post, a rather close shave for the National Football League leaders of this country. it was a close match, and despite East Bengal looking the better team, looks don?t always translate into result on a football field.

East Bengal?s thrust were the wings. Muktijoddha?s was a weird combination of ?bottle-up-Bhaichung? with ?crowd-the-defence? and of a throw-in man in Seikh Belal Ahmed whose efforts yielded in 30-35 yard moves. That, probably, was the Bangla team?s surprise. That almost yielded goals on two occasions.

East Bengal went just about close, not close enough.

Juliano pulled one up the right in the 16th minute and centred to the goalmouth, but the crowd at the goalmouth messed it all up. This was the scenario on several occasions, as moves were being cut off easily.

Then, in the 27th minute it was time for a Belal throw-in. nobody expected the throw to carry so far, right into the goalmouth melee, and the defence was in a quandary. Rokonuzzaman Kanchan was waiting for the opportunity and send goalwards a side-nod. Only, the near post came in the way.

Marcos, the much-hyped Brazilian defence wizard of East Bengal, proved less than that. There was less enterprise in him than one would have expected. Maybe it will take time for him to associate with the rest.

The Belal effect showed yet again in the 42nd minute. This time he threw from the right, a huge effort that landed at the goalmouth. Kanchan was there yet again, diving for a header that should have gone in, but for the foot of Selwyn Fernandes.

The jolts were too much for East Bengal who regrouped and attacked right away in the second half. Bhowmick pulled out Juliano and inserted Alvito D?Cunha, expecting a bit more game-play. That did happen, with the midriff coming to life and pushing attacks to the rival defence zone.

However, eight minutes into the second half a high ball reached the East Bengal goalmouth and Muktijoddha?s Saifur Rahman Moni let go a shot. Marcos came in handy this once, diving to save the situation.

Bhaichung Bhhutia was bottled up pretty well by the defence. Not much was available of his talent, to his team. Bhowmick also tried by pushing in Dipankar Roy in place of Shylo Malsawmtluanga to add to the attacking sting, but the final effort did not materialise.

East Bengal?s can only blame their dull display of uninspired soccer for the deadlock. There was less of head in it all. And, surely, there wasn?t a plan B.

TEAMS

EAST BENGAL: Rajat Ghosh Dastidar, Debjit Ghosh, Chandan Das, Marcos Secco, Selwyn Fernandes, Climax Lawrence (M. Suresh, 85), Earnest Jeremiah, Syed Rahim Nabi, Shylo Malsawmtluanga (Dipankar Roy, 68), Juliano Martins (Alvito D?Cunha, 46), Bhaichung Bhutia.

MUKTIJODDHA SANSAD: Titumir Chowdhury, Charles Ghansa Benin, Rajani Kanta Barman, Mohammed Arman, Mohammed Saiful Islam (Mohammed Rony, 84), Rokonuzzaman Kanchan, Habimana Hery, Mohammed Azmul Hossain Bidduth, Saifur Rahman Moni, Mohammed Rasheed Ahmed Pappu, Sheikh Belal Ahmed (Firoj Mahmud H. Titu, 58).

Referee: Chynybekov Kadyrbek (Kyrgyzstan).