East Bengal FC avenged their earlier defeat to Kerala Blasters with a 2-1 victory in front of their passionate home crowd. The star of the show was none other than their Keralite midfielder PV Vishnu, who opened the scoring in the 20th minute with a moment of pure brilliance.
Vishnu latched onto an accurate long pass from Cleiton Silva, effortlessly beating his marker Freddie Lallawmawma before calmly slotting the ball past Kerala goalkeeper Sachin Suresh. It was a goal that not only electrified the stadium but also marked Vishnu’s fourth of the season. With an assist already to his name, the young midfielder continues to win hearts with his top-class performances in every game.
After the game, East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon heaped praise on the young midfielder and even revealed his recent conversation with national team head coach Manolo Marquez regarding Vishnu. “Well, I cannot hide that last week I had a conversation with the national team coach about this,” said Bruzon, hinting at Vishnu’s growing prospects of earning a call-up to the Indian national team.
Oscar strongly believes in Vishnu’s capabilities. “He (Marquez) has to decide, but Vishnu is undoubtedly a contender for the national team. He’s one of the most in-form players, not just in our club, but in the entire ISL. We need to keep supporting him because I still believe Vishnu has much more to offer,” added the East Bengal head coach.
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Vishnu’s meteoric rise has been remarkable. Last season, he was promoted to East Bengal’s senior team from their developmental squad and made an immediate impact in the ISL, scoring a goal and registering an assist. This season, Vishnu has been even more prolific, showcasing his versatility by excelling on both flanks. His performances have firmly established him as a national team contender.
Under the national team head coach, Marquez, Lallianzuala Chhangte has been a regular on the wings. Alongside Chhangte, players like Farukh Chowdhury, Nandha Kumar Sekar and occasionally Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco have featured prominently. However, Vishnu’s stats this season are just as impressive, if not better. Except for Manvir, none of the aforementioned players have more than two goals or two assists in the ongoing ISL, making Vishnu’s case even stronger.
With the AFC Asian Cup Qualifiers against Bangladesh looming in March, Marquez is expected to assemble a probable squad to begin preparations. Given Vishnu’s current form, he is likely to be on the national team head coach’s radar, and a well-deserved call-up may not be far away.
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