Waking up a wet, gloomy wintry morning in Vancouver had never been so easy because it was the new dawn of anticipation. For almost the last one and half decade, we waited for this morning at this half of the world. My heart skipped a few beats when I browsed to the Star Sports 2 channel, and the clicks of a remote button never felt so long. And finally, it was, on the big screen – an Indian League where East Bengal is participating. It had been a struggle – from phone calls to Orkut messages to Facebook messages to Bet365 to YuppTV; adding to the ethereal 1 AM or 3:30 AM starts of an i-League game. Looking at the telecast, it felt heavenly. I can’t say enough THANKS to ISL!
The game, though, appeared a carbon copy from yesteryears. Far too much possession was lost without pressure. Far too many balls were sent with wishful thinking that someone will reach. And for countless times, the ball was not passed to a man in a better position. Blasters’ looked better with moving the ball as ATK sat back and allowed space, but rarely penetrated the box other than long aerial balls. ATK looked to open in counters and hit the all-important goal in one such move. Habas struck the right balance with the resources at hand and secured three points. Nevertheless, the wait for the dawn of the 27th will feel longer.
