East Bengal failed to sustain the momentum of a big win and had to settle for a goalless draw against the resolute defending of the debutant Punjab FC in an ISL match at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
After the high of a 5-0 win against NorthEast United FC, EBFC failed to reproduce the rhythm and had to be satisfied with a point from the deadlocked affair.
The host’s attack struggled to find its footing against a predominantly defensive Punjab, which kept a tight vigil to prevent EBFC attackers from getting a clear look at the goal. East Bengal controlled the midfield and made a few impressive raids but failed to keep a single of its attempts on target in the opening session. Carles Cuadrat’s men also made an appeal for a penalty early in the opening quarter for a foul on Cleiton Silva by Punjab defender Nitesh Darjee but the referee chose to ignore it.
