BARASAT, Jan 26 (IANS): East Bengal returned to their winning ways riding on an in-form Ranti Martins' strike against debutants DSK Shivajians in the I-league football competition here on Tuesday.
The Nigerian netted his fourth goal in as many matches as East Bengal carved out the 1-0 victory before a packed crowd at the Vidyasagar Stadium.
The decider came in the 29th minute of the first half when a Mehtab Hossain flagkick saw Mohammad Rafique find the bar and Ranti put the rebound home, giving no chance to rival custodian Subrata Pal.
The city giants dominated the exchanges but muffed up several scoring opportunities which stood in their way of a big win.
East Bengal, who earned full points after two drawn encounters, were well served by their talented winger Bikash Jairu who troubled the DSK defenders with his pace and searing runs down the left.
On the other hand, DSK relied on counter attacks and got a golden opportunity to equalize midway into the second session. But Aser Pierrick Dipanda Dicka failed to find the net from close with only the goalkeeper to beat.
Sometime before that, East Bengal's Dong Dong Hyun Do moved in from the left, but failed to finish off.
East Bengal have now moved up to the second spot with eight points from four matches. On the other hand, DSK lie in the seventh position, with a solitary point from three exchanges.
