| 2021–22 season | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Owner | Shree Cement East Bengal Foundation | |||
| Head coach | Manolo Díaz (until 28 December 2021)[1][2] Renedy Singh[2] (interim; from 28 December 2021 until 1 January 2022)[2] Mario Rivera Campesino (from 1 January 2022)[3] | |||
| Stadium | Tilak Maidan Stadium[A] | |||
| ISL | 11th | |||
| CFL | Withdrew | |||
| Top goalscorer | League:Antonio Perošević (4 goals) All: Antonio Perošević (4 goals) | |||
| Average home league attendance | Closed doors[A] | |||
| Biggest win | Goa 1–2 East Bengal (19 January 2022) | |||
| All statistics correct as of 28 February 2022. | ||||
The2021–22 season was the 102nd season of Sporting Club East Bengal (EB or SCEB) and their second season in theIndian Super League. Due to theCOVID-19 pandemic, the2021–22 Indian Super League season began on 19 November 2021 and ended on 20 March 2022 with all the matches held in Goa across three venues just like the previous season.[4][5]
The2021–22 season is once again set to be played entirely in Goa due toCOVID-19 pandemic.[4][5] The league committee also announced that the number of foreign players that can be registered and fielded is to be reduced, with four foreign players in the playing eleven and a maximum of six can be registered, one of which should be from an Asian nation.[6]
On 8 June, East Bengal Club was handed a transfer ban by FIFA for non-payment of dues for former playerJohnny Acosta.[7][8] The club was also uncertain to participate in the 2020–21 season of Indian Super League as the row between the club and their prime investor group was yet to resolve which threatened their participation in any footballing activity for the season.[9][10] TheAIFF and theFSDL had asked the club authorities to sort out the mess between the club and the investor group soon.[11] East Bengal coachRobbie Fowler too expressed his dissatisfaction over the issue and slammed the club officials for their delay in signing the final termsheet.[12][13] On 25 June, the club announced that they have cleared off the dues for Johnny Acosta and hence expect the transfer ban to be uplifted by FIFA soon.[14][15] On 5 July, FIFA officially uplifted the transfer ban on East Bengal,[16] however, the club was on the verge of facing another transfer ban due to non-payment of dues for three more former players:Rakshit Dagar,Pintu Mahata andAbhash Thapa.[16][17] On 6 August, TheAll India Football Federation handed another transfer ban to East Bengal due to the non-payment of dues for the three aforementioned players.[18][19] On 26 August, the transfer ban was lifted by the AIFF after SC East Bengal cleared the dues for the three players.[20]
Due to the tussle between the club and the investor group, East Bengal lost out on a few of their star performers from last season includingBright Enobakhare,Debjit Majumder,Sarthak Golui,Narayan Das andMatti Steinmann.[21] The fans put up a huge protest in front of the club premises on 21 July demanding an immediate solution for the situation.[22][23][24][25] On 25 August, the long-running tussle between the club and the investor group finally came to a solution after a mediatory intervention by theChief minister ofWest BengalMamata Banerjee, and it was announced that the club will be participating in the2021–22 Indian Super League withShree Cement staying on as the investors.[26][27][28][29]
| Date | No. | Pos. | Name | Signed from | Fee | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 31 August 2021 | 2 | DF |  Daniel Gomes | Salgaocar | Undisclosed | [30] |
| 31 August 2021 | 17 | DF | Sarineo Fernandes | Goa | Undisclosed | [31] |
| 2 September 2021 | 19 | MF | Romeo Fernandes | Goa | Free Transfer | [32] |
| 3 September 2021 | 20 | DF | Hira Mondal | Mohammedan | Free Transfer | [33] |
| 3 September 2021 | 12 | DF | Joyner Lourenco | Jamshedpur | Free Transfer | [34] |
| 6 September 2021 | 29 | GK | Arindam Bhattacharya | ATK Mohun Bagan | Free Transfer | [35] |
| 7 September 2021 | 18 | MF | Sourav Das | Mumbai City | Free Transfer | [36] |
| 7 September 2021 | 16 | MF | Songpu Singsit | Neroca | Free Transfer | [37] |
| 7 September 2021 | 24 | FW | Thongkhosiem Haokip | Bengaluru | Free Transfer | [38] |
| 9 September 2021 | 82 | DF | Lalrinliana Hnamte | Hyderabad | Free Transfer | [39] |
| 11 September 2021 | 21 | MF |  Amir Dervišević | Maribor | Free Transfer | [40] |
| 14 September 2021 | 4 | DF |  Tomislav Mrcela | Perth Glory | Free Transfer | [41] |
| 15 September 2021 | 71 | DF |  Franjo Prce | Slaven Belupo | Free Transfer | [42] |
| 16 September 2021 | 27 | FW |  Daniel Chima Chukwu |  Taizhou Yuanda | Free Transfer | [43] |
| 17 September 2021 | 6 | MF |  Darren Sidoel |  Córdoba | Free Transfer | [44] |
| 23 September 2021 | 7 | FW | Antonio Perošević |  Újpest | Free Transfer | [45] |
| 7 October 2021 | 45 | DF | Saikhom Goutam Singh | Hyderabad II | Free Transfer | [46] |
| 7 October 2021 | 43 | FW | Siddhant Shirodkar | Calangute Association | Free Transfer | [47] |
| 7 October 2021 | 26 | DF | Akashdeep Singh Kahlon | Sudeva Delhi | Free Transfer | [47] |
| 25 January 2022 | 77 | MF | Fran Sota | Calahorra | Free Transfer | [48] |
| 27 January 2022 | 99 | FW | Rahul Paswan | BSS | Free Transfer | [49] |
| 12 February 2022 | 30 | DF |  Ananta Tamang | Three Star Club | Free Transfer | [50] |
| Start date | End date | No. | Pos. | Name | Loaned from | Ref |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 30 August 2021 | End of season | 80 | MF | Amarjit Singh Kiyam | Goa | [51] |
| 31 August 2021 | End of season | 5 | FD | Adil Khan | Hyderabad | [52] |
| 31 August 2021 | End of season | 10 | MF | Jackichand Singh | Mumbai City | [53] |
| 31 August 2021 | End of season | 11 | FW | Subha Ghosh | Kerala Blasters | [54] |
| 31 August 2021 | End of season | 13 | FW | Naorem Mahesh Singh | Kerala Blasters | [55] |
| 10 January 2022 | End of season | 9 | FW |  Marcelo Ribeiro |  Gil Vicente | [56] |
| 31 January 2022 | End of season | 50 | DF | Naocha Singh | Mumbai City | [57] |
| No. | Name | Nat. | Pos. | Date of Birth (Age) | Signed From | Apps | Goals |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| 1 | Sankar Roy | | GK | (1995-05-09)9 May 1995 (age 30) | ATK Mohun Bagan | 6 | 0 |
| 25 | Suvam Sen | | GK | (1989-11-14)14 November 1989 (age 36) | United | 5 | 0 |
| 29 | Arindam Bhattacharya(captain) | | GK | (1989-12-11)11 December 1989 (age 35) | ATK Mohun Bagan | 11 | 0 |
| Defenders | |||||||
| 2 | Daniel Gomes | | CB | (1997-09-07)7 September 1997 (age 28) | Salgaocar | 2 | 0 |
| 5 | Adil Khan(vice-captain) | | CB | (1988-07-07)7 July 1988 (age 37) | Hyderabad | 14 | 0 |
| 12 | Joyner Lourenco | | CB | (1991-09-08)8 September 1991 (age 34) | Jamshedpur | 11 | 0 |
| 17 | Sarineo Fernandes | | LB | (1999-02-09)9 February 1999 (age 26) | Goa | 0 | 0 |
| 20 | Hira Mondal | | LB | (1996-08-31)31 August 1996 (age 29) | Mohammedan Sporting | 16 | 0 |
| 26 | Akashdeep Singh Kahlon | | RB | (1993-07-26)26 July 1993 (age 32) | Sudeva Delhi | 0 | 0 |
| 30 | Ananta Tamang | | CB | (1998-01-14)14 January 1998 (age 27) | Three Star Club | 1 | 0 |
| 45 | Saikhom Goutam Singh | | CB/RB | (2002-01-27)27 January 2002 (age 23) | Hyderabad II | 0 | 0 |
| 47 | Raju Gaikwad | | CB/RB | (1990-09-25)25 September 1990 (age 35) | Kerala Blasters | 90 | 1 |
| 50 | Naocha Singh | | LB | (1999-08-24)24 August 1999 (age 26) | Mumbai City | 5 | 0 |
| 55 | Ankit Mukherjee | | RB | (1996-07-10)10 July 1996 (age 29) | ATK Mohun Bagan | 18 | 0 |
| 71 | Franjo Prce | | CB/LB | (1996-01-07)7 January 1996 (age 29) | Slaven Belupo | 15 | 1 |
| Midfielders | |||||||
| 6 | Darren Sidoel | | DM | (1998-03-10)10 March 1998 (age 27) | Córdoba | 11 | 3 |
| 8 | Mohammed Rafique | | CM | (1991-03-26)26 March 1991 (age 34) | Mumbai City | 116 | 10 |
| 10 | Jackichand Singh | | RW | (1992-03-17)17 March 1992 (age 33) | Mumbai City | 14 | 0 |
| 14 | Wahengbam Angousana | | CM | (1996-02-02)2 February 1996 (age 29) | TRAU | 28 | 0 |
| 16 | Songpu Singsit | | LW | (1999-06-02)2 June 1999 (age 26) | Neroca | 2 | 0 |
| 18 | Sourav Das | | CM | (1996-06-20)20 June 1996 (age 29) | Mumbai City | 21 | 0 |
| 19 | Romeo Fernandes | | RW | (1992-07-06)6 July 1992 (age 33) | Goa | 9 | 0 |
| 22 | Lalrinliana Hnamte | | DM | (2003-04-29)29 April 2003 (age 22) | Hyderabad | 17 | 1 |
| 23 | Bikash Jairu | | LW | (1990-11-10)10 November 1990 (age 35) | Jamshedpur | 49 | 6 |
| 33 | Loken Meitei | | CM/LW | (1997-05-04)4 May 1997 (age 28) | TRAU | 1 | 0 |
| 77 | Fran Sota | | CM | (1990-10-30)30 October 1990 (age 35) | Calahorra | 5 | 0 |
| 80 | Amarjit Singh Kiyam | | DM | (2001-01-06)6 January 2001 (age 24) | Goa | 16 | 0 |
| Forwards | |||||||
| 7 | Antonio Perošević | | FW | (1992-03-06)6 March 1992 (age 33) | Újpest | 14 | 4 |
| 9 | Marcelo Ribeiro | | FW | (1997-07-27)27 July 1997 (age 28) | Gil Vicente | 6 | 0 |
| 11 | Subha Ghosh | | FW | (2000-12-22)22 December 2000 (age 24) | Kerala Blasters | 3 | 0 |
| 13 | Naorem Mahesh Singh | | FW | (1999-03-01)1 March 1999 (age 26) | Kerala Blasters | 18 | 2 |
| 15 | Balwant Singh | | FW | (1986-12-15)15 December 1986 (age 38) | ATK | 8 | 0 |
| 24 | Thongkhosiem Haokip | | FW | (1993-03-13)13 March 1993 (age 32) | Bengaluru | 20 | 3 |
| 43 | Siddhant Shirodkar | | FW | (2003-03-04)4 March 2003 (age 22) | Calangute Association | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | Rahul Paswan | | FW | (1998-04-19)19 April 1998 (age 27) | BSS | 1 | 0 |
| No. | Pos. | Date | Name | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 55 | DF | 29 August 2021 | Ankit Mukherjee | [87] |
| 47 | DF | 29 August 2021 | Raju Gaikwad | [88] |
| 1 | GK | 30 August 2021 | Sankar Roy | [89] |
On 8 September, East Bengal announced that the club has mutually terminated the contract with coachRobbie Fowler,[90] and announced the arrival of formerReal Madrid Castilla coachManolo Díaz as the new head coach for the season.[1][91][92] East Bengal also appointed formerReal Madrid coach Angel Puebla Garcia as the assistant coach. He will also be fulfilling the responsibilities of a strength and fitness coach.[93] The club also announced thatRenedy Singh will be continuing his role as the assistant coach.[93] East Bengal appointed Malaysian fitness coach Joseph Ronald D'Angelus as the head of sport science,[94] and formerChelsea andCrystal Palace coach Leslie Cleevely as the goalkeeping coach for the season.[95] On 28 September, East Bengal announced the signing of former head-coachMridul Banerjee as the team manager.[96] On 11 November, East Bengal announced that they have parted ways with Joseph Ronald D'Angelus due to some personal reasons.[97]
On 28 December, East Bengal announced that they have parted ways with head coachManolo Díaz and assistant Angel Puebla Garcia after they failed to win even one game in their eight-match tenure.Renedy Singh has been appointed as the interim head coach of the team.[2] On 1 January, East Bengal announced that former head coachMario Rivera Campesino has been appointed as the new head coach for the season.[3] On 16 January, East Bengal announced that goalkeeper coach Les Cleevely would leave his position and return home for personal reasons and he would be replaced by Mihir Sawant.[98] On 6 February, East Bengal announced the appointment ofVictor Herrero Forcada as the assistant coach for the remainder of the season.[99]
| Position | Name |
|---|---|
| Head coach | Mario Rivera Campesino |
| Assistant coach | Victor Herrero Forcada |
| Strength & Conditioning coach | Rudra Pratim Roy |
| Goalkeeping coach | Mihir Sawant |
| Team Manager | Mridul Banerjee |
East Bengal launched its kits for the season on 6 November 2021. The traditional red and gold fields, vertically split into two halves returned after four seasons as the home kit. The away kit is white with red and gold trim on the collar, sleeves, and bottom of the shirt. The third kit is an evolution of last season's away kit, paying tribute to Bengal's love for fish and East Bengal's connection with Ilish (Hilsa).[100]
          Home |     Away |  Third |  Goalkeeper (1) | Goalkeeper (2) | Goalkeeper (3) |
East Bengal started their squad building for the new season late, only after the settlement between the club and the investor group on 25 August.[101][102]Hira Mondal became the first recruit of the window fromMohammedan Sporting.[33] On 29 August, the club signed the formerIndia U-17 captainAmarjit Singh Kiyam on a season-long loan fromGoa.[103][104] The club also roped in young left-back Sarineo Fernandes from Goa[31][105] andSourav Das fromMumbai City on a permanent transfer.[36] On 31 August, the deadline day, East Bengal signed a handful of players:Songpu Singsit fromNeroca,[37]Romeo Fernandes fromGoa,[32]Joyner Lourenco fromJamshedpur,[34]Thongkhosiem Haokip fromBengaluru,[38]Daniel Gomes fromSalgaocar,[30]Subha Ghosh andNaorem Mahesh Singh on loan fromKerala Blasters,[54][55]Jackichand Singh on loan fromMumbai City,[53] andAdil Khan on loan fromHyderabad.[52] On 6 September, East Bengal announced the signing of2020–21 Indian Super Leaguegolden gloves winning goalkeeperArindam Bhattacharya in a free-transfer fromATK Mohun Bagan.[35][106]
On 11 September, East Bengal announced their first foreign signing of the season as they roped inSlovenian midfielderAmir Dervišević fromNK Maribor on a free transfer.[40][107] East Bengal also roped in formerPerth Glory defenderTomislav Mrcela,[41][108] formerLazio defenderFranjo Prce,[42][109] Nigerian forwardDaniel Chima Chukwu,[43][110] formerAjax under–19 captainDarren Sidoel,[44][111] and Croatian forwardAntonio Perošević as the foreign signings for the season.[45][112]
The East Bengal team and staff reachedGoa on 29–30 September and after spending a mandatory quarantine of seven days in the team hotel, the team started their pre-season training.[113] East Bengal will be playing few friendly matches against other Indian Super League teams as a part of their pre-season preparation ahead of the Indian Super League campaign.[114][115] On 14 October, East Bengal announced two pre-season friendly matches againstGoa Professional League teams:Vasco andSalgaocar on 15 and 16 October at the Don Bosco Ground in Fatorda.[116] In the first pre-season match against Vasco, East Bengal won 3–1 withThongkhosiem Haokip,Subha Ghosh and Siddhant Shirodkar scoring the team.[117][47] In the second match against Salgaocar, East Bengal won 2–0 with midfieldersAmir Dervišević andSourav Das scoring for the team.[118] In the third pre-season game on 20 October, East Bengal defeated the reigningI-League championsGokulam Kerala 2–1 with goals fromBalwant Singh andWahengbam Angousana.[119] On 13 November, East Bengal announced their veteran goalkeeperArindam Bhattacharya as the captain and Croatian defenderTomislav Mrcela as the vice-captain for the season.[120] On 14 November, East Bengal faced2020–21 Indian Super League championsMumbai City in their fourth pre-season friendly and held the defending champions to a 1–1 draw.Cassinho scored for Mumbai in the first half whileSourav Das scored the equaliser for East Bengal in the second half.[121]
Win Draw Loss
| 15 October 2021Friendly | East Bengal | 3–1 | Vasco | Fatorda,Goa |
| 08:00IST | Haokip 38'Ghosh 54'Shirodkar 87' | Report[dead link] | Costa 84' | Stadium:Don Bosco Ground |
| 16 October 2021Friendly | East Bengal | 2–0 | Salgaocar | Fatorda,Goa |
| 08:00IST | Dervišević 6' (pen.) Das 65' | Report[dead link] | Stadium:Don Bosco Ground |
| 20 October 2021Friendly | East Bengal | 2–1 | Gokulam Kerala | Fatorda,Goa |
| 15:30IST | Balwant 40' Angousana 45+2' | Report[dead link] | Osumanu 71' | Stadium:Don Bosco Ground |
| 14 November 2021Friendly | East Bengal | 1–1 | Mumbai City | Nagoa,Goa |
| 16:00IST | Das 60' | Report | Cassinho 45' | Stadium:Nagoa Village Panchayat Football Ground |
| Competition | First match | Latest match | Final Position |
|---|---|---|---|
| Calcutta Football League | Did not play[B] | Elimination round | |
| Indian Super League | 21 November 2021 | 5 March 2022 | 11th |
| Competition | Record | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Win % | |
| Calcutta Football League[B] | 7 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 0 | 21 | −21 | 000.00 |
| Indian Super League | 20 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 36 | −18 | 005.00 |
| Total | 27 | 1 | 8 | 18 | 18 | 57 | −39 | 003.70 |
Last updated: 5 March 2022
Source:Competitions
On 1 July 2021, theIndian Football Association announced that the2021 CFL Premier Division will be held in mid-August, without any spectators, adhering to all the protocols due to theCOVID-19 pandemic.[124][125][126][127] The committee has also announced that there will be a change in the format of the tournament with 14 teams likely to be divided into two groups and the top 8 teams will reach the knockout stage and play each other in the quarter-finals.[128] However, the participation of East Bengal club was uncertain due to the tussle between the club and the investor group.[129][130] On 25 August, after the differences were put to a stop by the intervention ofMamata Banerjee, the club has expressed the willingness to participate in the Calcutta Football League.[131]
The fixtures for the2021 CFL Premier Division was officially announced on 1 August by theIndian Football Association.[132] East Bengal was set to start their campaign on 31 August againstBhawanipore,[133][134] however, the club informed the IFA about the unavailability of the team and the match was cancelled.[135] On 6 September, the IFA released fresh schedule for East Bengal where they are supposed to faceBSS Sporting Club on 7 September,[135] however, East Bengal management has notified the IFA that the team is not available yet and they will not be participating in the tournament.[122] The IFA decided to handover all the matches to the respective opponents aswalkovers and East Bengal finished at the bottom of the group.[122][123]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3 | United | 6 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 11 | 5 | +6 | 13 | Qualified for Quarterfinals |
| 4 | Mohammedan | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 10 | 5 | +5 | 10 | Relegated to Elimination round |
| 5 | Railway | 6 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 8 | 9 | −1 | 7 | |
| 6 | Southern Samity | 6 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 7 | 12 | −5 | 3 | |
| 7 | East Bengal | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 0 | 18 | −18 | 0 |
| Quarter-finals | Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||
| 1 October 2021 –Kalyani | ||||||||||
| BSS | 1 | |||||||||
| 8 October 2021 - Naihati Stadium | ||||||||||
| George Telegraph | 2 | |||||||||
| George Telegraph | 0 | |||||||||
| 5 October 2021 – Naihati Stadium | ||||||||||
| Railway(a.e.t.) | 1 | |||||||||
| Peerless | 0 | |||||||||
| 18 November 2021 -Salt Lake Stadium | ||||||||||
| Railway | 4 | |||||||||
| Railway | 0 | |||||||||
| 2 October 2021 – Naihati Stadium | ||||||||||
| Mohammedan | 1 | |||||||||
| United | 3 | |||||||||
| 12 October 2021 -Kalyani | ||||||||||
| Calcutta Customs | 2 | |||||||||
| United | 0 | |||||||||
| 9 October 2021 –Kalyani | ||||||||||
| Mohammedan | 1 | |||||||||
| Bhawanipore | 0 | |||||||||
| Mohammedan | 7 | |||||||||
Win Draw Loss Void
| 31 August 20211 | Bhawanipore | w/o | East Bengal | Kalyani |
| 14:45IST | Report | Stadium:Kalyani Stadium | ||
| Note: Bhawanipore were awarded walkover win by 3 goals since East Bengal didn't turn up for the match[136] | ||||
| 3 September 20212 | East Bengal | w/o | United | Kalyani |
| 14:45IST | Stadium:Kalyani Stadium | |||
| Note: The match was cancelled asEast Bengal informed the unavailability of their team toIFA prior to the match.[135]United was handed a walkover.[122] | ||||
| 7 September 20213 | East Bengal | w/o | BSS | — |
| — | Stadium:— | |||
| Note: The match was cancelled asEast Bengal informed the unavailability of their team toIFA prior to the match.[135]BSS was handed a walkover.[122] | ||||
| 12 September 20213 | East Bengal | w/o | Mohammedan Sporting | — |
| — | Stadium:— | |||
| Note: The match was cancelled asEast Bengal informed the unavailability of their team toIFA prior to the match.[135]Mohammedan Sporting was handed a walkover.[122] | ||||
| 15 September 20215 | East Bengal | w/o | Railway | — |
| — | Stadium:— | |||
| Note: The match was cancelled asEast Bengal informed the unavailability of their team toIFA prior to the match.[135] Railway was handed a walkover.[122] | ||||
| —6 | East Bengal | w/o | Southern Samity | — |
| TBD | Stadium:— | |||
| Note: The match was cancelled asEast Bengal informed the unavailability of their team toIFA prior to the match.[135]Southern Samity was handed a walkover.[122] | ||||
| 28 September 2021Qualifier | Aryan | w/o | East Bengal | — |
| TBD | Stadium:— | |||
| Note: The match was cancelled as East Bengal informed the unavailability of their team toIFA prior to the match.[135]Aryan was handed a walkover.[122] | ||||
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the2021–22 season will once again be held entirely inGoa under a secured bio-bubble.[4][5] The club was allotted theTilak Maidan Stadium as their home ground for the season.[137] On 13 September, the fixtures for the first leg was announced.[137][138][139]
East Bengal began their campaign againstJamshedpur at theTilak Maidan Stadium on 21 November with a 1–1 draw, withFranjo Prce putting East Bengal ahead in the seventeenth minute only forPeter Hartley to equalise in the injury time of the first half to share points.[140] East Bengal facedATK Mohun Bagan FC next in theKolkata Derby at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on 27 November and suffered a 0–3 defeat with three first-half goals fromRoy Krishna,Manvir Singh andListon Colaco.[141] Coach Manolo Diaz admitted that there is a big gap in quality between the two teams.[142] East Bengal facedOdisha next on 30 November at the Tilak Maidan and suffered a 6–4 defeat.Darren Sidoel had put East Bengal ahead in the 13th minute but Odisha rallied from behind withHéctor Rodas scoring twice andJavier Hernández scoring directly from the corner-kick to take a 3–1 lead at half time.Aridai Cabrera scored two more in the second half whileIsak Vanlalruatfela scored another as Odisha scored six goals against East Bengal in consecutive matches.Thongkhosiem Haokip scored one andDaniel Chima Chukwu scored twice as East Bengal reduced the margin late in the game.[143] East Bengal coach Manolo Diaz expressed his frustrations after the game as he claimed:"We don't have enough quality to play matches in the Indian Super League".[144]
East Bengal facedChennaiyin in their fourth match on 3 December and managed a 0–0 goalless draw against the two-time champions.Hira Mondal was adjudged the man-of-the-match for his excellent defensive display to secure one point for the team.[145][146] On 7 December, East Bengal went down 3–4 againstGoa at the Tilak Maidan Stadium.Antonio Perosevic scored a brace whileAmir Dervisevic scored one for East Bengal whileAlberto Noguera scored twice along with goals fromJorge Ortiz and an own-goal from Perosevic as East Bengal suffered their third defeat in five matches.[147] East Bengal facedKerala Blasters next on 12 December at the Tilak Maidan and drew 1–1. Australian defenderTomislav Mrcela put East Bengal ahead in the thirty-seventh minute of the game with a header from a long throw-in byRaju Gaikwad butÁlvaro Vázquez equalised for Kerala just before the half-time as both teams shared points.[148] On 17 December, East Bengal facedNorthEast United and succumbed to their fourth defeat as the Highlanders won 2–0 with two second-half goals fromV.P. Suhair andPatrick Flottmann.[149] Croatian forwardAntonio Perosevic was given marching orders after he assaulted the referee in the dying minutes of the game.[150] The Croatian was handed a five-match ban for the incident.[151][152] East Bengal facedHyderabad in their eighth match on 23 December at theGMC Athletic Stadium and managed to get another point after the match ended 1–1. Amir Dervisevic put East Bengal ahead in the 20th minute from a free-kick butBartholomew Ogbeche restored parity in the 35th minute as both the teams shared the points.[153]
On 4 January, East Bengal facedBengaluru at the Bambolim Stadium and managed another 1–1 draw, led by interim head coachRenedy Singh. Thongkhosiem Haokip put East Bengal ahead in the 28th minute of the game with a header from a set piece byWahengbam Angousana. Bengaluru equalised in the second half via an own goal fromSourav Das in the 55th minute as both teams shared points.[154] East Bengal faced the defending championsMumbai City next on 7 January at the Tilak Maidan Stadium and played out a goalless draw to end the first leg of the season without a single win.[155] Renedy Singh, who was once again in charge of the team, applauded his injury-stricken side for the performance against the defending champions despite playing with just one foreign player.[156] East Bengal facedJamshedpur in the next match on 11 January and suffered another defeat asIshan Pandita scored a late winner in the 88th minute to hand Jamshedpur a 1–0 win. Interim head coach Renedy Singh had fielded an all Indian starting eleven against Jamshedpur, a first of a kind in the history of the Indian Super League.[157]
On 19 January, East Bengal facedGoa at the Bambolim Stadium and snatched their first victory of the season as they won 2–1 withNaorem Mahesh Singh scoring a brace for the team.Alberto Noguera scored the only goal for Goa. East Bengal thus ended their winless streak after 346 days, since their victory againstJamshedpur in the previous season.[158] This was also the first game in charge for new head coachMario Rivera.[159] East Bengal facedHyderabad next on 24 January at the Bambolim Stadium and suffered a 4–0 defeat.Bartholomew Ogbeche scored a hattrick whileAniket Jadhav scored the other as East Bengal suffered their sixth defeat of the season.[160] On 29 January, East Bengal faced rivalsATK Mohun Bagan and suffered a 3–1 defeat after conceding two late goals in the injury time, asKiyan Nassiri scored a hattrick for ATK Mohun Bagan afterDarren Sidoel had put East Bengal ahead in the 56th minute.[161]
On 2 February, East Bengal facedChennaiyin at the Tilak Maidan and rallied from 0–2 behind to make a 2–2 comeback in the injury time. Chennaiyin took the lead in the second minute afterHira Mondal scored an own-goal andNinthoinganba Meetei doubled the lead in the 15th minute.Darren Sidoel scored directly from a free-kick in the 61st minute for East Bengal to reduce the deficit whileLalrinliana Hnamte headed in the equaliser in the 91st minute to complete the comeback and earn another point for East Bengal.[162]
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 7 | Odisha | 20 | 6 | 5 | 9 | 31 | 43 | −12 | 23 |
| 8 | Chennaiyin | 20 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 17 | 35 | −18 | 20 |
| 9 | Goa | 20 | 4 | 7 | 9 | 29 | 35 | −6 | 19 |
| 10 | NorthEast United | 20 | 3 | 5 | 12 | 25 | 43 | −18 | 14 |
| 11 | East Bengal | 20 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 36 | −18 | 11 |
| Overall | Home | Away | |||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD |
| 20 | 1 | 8 | 11 | 18 | 36 | −18 | 11 | 0 | 5 | 5 | 9 | 19 | −10 | 1 | 3 | 6 | 9 | 17 | −8 |
| Match | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ground | H | H | A | A | H | H | A | A | A | H | A | A | H | A | H | H | A | H | H | A |
| Result | D | L | L | D | L | D | L | D | D | D | L | W | L | L | D | L | L | L | D | L |
| Position | 3 | 9 | 10 | 9 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 10 | 10 | 10 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
The season fixtures for the first 10 matches were released on 13 September. East Bengal began their campaign againstJamshedpur on 21 November 2021.[137] The second half of the fixtures were announced on 21 December.[163]
Win Draw Loss Void
| 21 November 20211 | East Bengal | 1–1 | Jamshedpur | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Prce 17' Das  49' | Report | Hartley 45' Gahlot 79' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0[A] Referee:Crystal John Man of the Match:Antonio Perošević (East Bengal) |
| 27 November 20212 | East Bengal | 0–3 | ATK Mohun Bagan | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Hnamte 7' Sidoel 27'Perošević 83' | Report | Krishna 14' Singh 14'Colaco 23' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Rahul Kumar Gupta Man of the Match:Joni Kauko (ATK Mohun Bagan) |
| 30 November 20213 | Odisha | 6–4 | East Bengal | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Rodas 33',40' Hernandez 45'Cabrera 71',90+3'Vanlalruatfela 82' | Report | Sidoel 13' Mondal 61'Haokip 81'Chukwu 90',90+2' (pen.) | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Harish Kundu Man of the Match:Héctor Rodas (Odisha) |
| 3 December 20214 | Chennaiyin | 0–0 | East Bengal | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Ali 55' Damjanović 74' | Report | Das 90' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Crystal John Man of the Match:Hira Mondal (East Bengal) |
| 7 December 20215 | East Bengal | 3–4 | Goa | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Perošević 25',59' Dervišević 37'Khan 65'Gaikwad 83' | Report | Noguera 14',79' Gama 19'Fernandes 25'Ortiz 32' (pen.)Perošević 44' (o.g.) | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:C. R. Srikrishna Man of the Match:Alberto Noguera (Goa) |
| 12 December 20216 | East Bengal | 1–1 | Kerala Blasters | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Haokip 11' Kiyam 23'Mrcela 37'Hnamte 65' | Report | Vázquez 44' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:R Venkatesh Man of the Match:Adrian Luna (Kerala Blasters) |
| 17 December 20217 | NorthEast United | 2–0 | East Bengal | Margao,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Rochharzela 41' Lalkhawpuimawia 46'Suhair 61'Flottmann 68' | Report | Naorem 45' Perošević  90' | Stadium:Fatorda Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Rahul Kumar Gupta Man of the Match:Khassa Camara (NorthEast United) |
| 23 December 20218 | Hyderabad | 1–1 | East Bengal | Bambolim,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Ogbeche 35' Juanan 90' | Report | Dervišević 20' Naorem 90' | Stadium:GMC Athletic Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Aditya Purkayastha Man of the Match:Lalrinliana Hnamte (East Bengal) |
| 4 January 20229 | Bengaluru | 1–1 | East Bengal | Bambolim,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Roshan 27' Das 55' (o.g.) | Report | Bhattacharya 3' Haokip 28'Mukherjee 87' | Stadium:GMC Athletic Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Harish Kundu Man of the Match:Adil Khan (East Bengal) |
| 7 January 202210 | East Bengal | 0–0 | Mumbai City | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Balwant 90' | Report | Jahouh 81' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Senthil Nathan Man of the Match:Sourav Das (East Bengal) |
| 11 January 202211 | Jamshedpur | 1–0 | East Bengal | Bambolim,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Pandita 88' | Report | Stadium:GMC Athletic Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Crystal John Man of the Match:Greg Stewart (Jamshedpur) |
| 19 January 202212 | Goa | 1–2 | East Bengal | Bambolim,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Noguera 37' Jesuraj 45' | Report | Naorem 9',42' Balwant 90' | Stadium:GMC Athletic Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Aditya Purkayastha Man of the Match:Naorem Mahesh Singh (East Bengal) |
| 24 January 202213 | East Bengal | 0–4 | Hyderabad | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Mukherjee 26' Prce  85' | Report | Ogbeche 21',44',74' Rai 38'Jadhav 45' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Rahul Kumar Gupta Man of the Match:Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad) |
| 29 January 202214 | ATK Mohun Bagan | 3–1 | East Bengal | Margao,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Williams 44'67' Nassiri 64',90',90'McHugh 79' | Report | Sidoel 56' Mondal 60' | Stadium:Fatorda Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Crystal John Man of the Match:Kiyan Nassiri (ATK Mohun Bagan) |
| 2 February 202215 | East Bengal | 2–2 | Chennaiyin | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Mondal 12' Sidoel 61'Hnamte 90' | Report | Mondal 2' (o.g.) Meetei 15'Dhot 38' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Ashwin Man of the Match:Darren Sidoel (East Bengal) |
| 7 February 202216 | East Bengal | 1–2 | Odisha | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Perošević 64' 66' | Report | Jonathas 23' Hernández 75'Panwar 89' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Rowan Arumughan Man of the Match:Javi Hernández (Odisha) |
| 14 February 202217 | Kerala Blasters | 1–0 | East Bengal | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Sipović 49' Soraisam 60'Díaz 90' | Report | Naocha 80' Mondal 89' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Aditya Purkayastha Man of the Match:Lalthathanga Khawlhring (Kerala Blasters) |
| 22 February 202218 | Mumbai City | 1–0 | East Bengal | Margao,Goa |
| 19:30IST | Bipin 51' | Report | Stadium:Fatorda Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee: Ashwin |
| 28 February 202219 | East Bengal | 1–1 | NorthEast United | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Perošević 55' | Report | Khan 24' Sahanek 45'Diallo 58' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Tejas Nagvenkar |
| 5 March 202220 | East Bengal | 0–1 | Bengaluru | Vasco da Gama, Goa |
| 19:30IST | Naocha 90' | Report | Chhetri 24' | Stadium:Tilak Maidan Stadium Attendance: 0 Referee:Senthil Nathan Man of the Match:Lara Sharma (Bengaluru) |
| Appearances for East Bengal in 2021–22 season | |||||||
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | ISL | Total | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Apps | Starts | Apps | Starts | ||||
| Goalkeepers | |||||||
| 1 | GK | | Sankar Roy | 5 | 5 | 5 | 5 |
| 25 | GK | | Suvam Sen | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 29 | GK | | Arindam Bhattacharya | 11 | 11 | 11 | 11 |
| Defenders | |||||||
| 2 | CB | | Daniel Gomes | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 |
| CB | | Tomislav Mrcela[C] | 9 | 8 | 9 | 8 | |
| 5 | CB | | Adil Khan | 14 | 8 | 14 | 8 |
| 12 | CB | | Joyner Lourenco | 11 | 9 | 11 | 9 |
| 20 | LB | | Hira Mondal | 16 | 15 | 16 | 15 |
| 30 | CB | | Ananta Tamang | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| 47 | CB/RB | | Raju Gaikwad | 12 | 8 | 12 | 8 |
| 50 | LB | | Naocha Singh | 5 | 4 | 5 | 4 |
| 55 | RB | | Ankit Mukherjee | 6 | 4 | 6 | 4 |
| 71 | CB/LB | | Franjo Prce | 15 | 15 | 15 | 15 |
| Midfielders | |||||||
| 6 | DM | | Darren Sidoel | 10 | 8 | 10 | 8 |
| 8 | CM | | Mohammed Rafique | 16 | 12 | 16 | 12 |
| 10 | RW | | Jackichand Singh | 6 | 0 | 6 | 0 |
| 14 | CM | | Wahengbam Angousana | 15 | 9 | 15 | 9 |
| 16 | LW | | Songpu Singsit | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 18 | CM | | Sourav Das | 18 | 16 | 18 | 16 |
| CM | | Amir Dervišević[C] | 8 | 4 | 8 | 4 | |
| 22 | DM | | Lalrinliana Hnamte | 17 | 12 | 17 | 12 |
| 23 | LW | | Bikash Jairu | 11 | 6 | 11 | 6 |
| 77 | CM | | Fran Sota | 5 | 3 | 5 | 3 |
| 80 | DM | | Amarjit Singh Kiyam | 16 | 10 | 16 | 10 |
| Forwards | |||||||
| 7 | FW | | Antonio Perošević | 14 | 13 | 14 | 13 |
| 9 | FW | | Marcelo Ribeiro | 6 | 3 | 6 | 3 |
| 11 | FW | | Subha Ghosh | 3 | 1 | 3 | 1 |
| 13 | FW | | Naorem Mahesh Singh | 18 | 15 | 18 | 15 |
| 15 | FW | | Balwant Singh | 5 | 0 | 5 | 0 |
| 24 | FW | | Thongkhosiem Haokip | 12 | 7 | 12 | 7 |
| FW | | Daniel Chima Chukwu[C] | 10 | 7 | 10 | 7 | |
| 43 | FW | | Siddhant Shirodkar | 1 | 0 | 1 | 0 |
| 99 | FW | | Rahul Paswan | 1 | 1 | 1 | 1 |
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | ISL | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 7 | FW | | Antonio Perosevic | 4 | 4 |
| 2 | 6 | DM | | Darren Sidoel | 3 | 3 |
| 3 | 13 | FW | | Naorem Mahesh Singh | 2 | 2 |
| MF | | Amir Dervisevic | 2 | 2 | ||
| 24 | FW | | Thongkhosiem Haokip | 2 | 2 | |
| FW | | Daniel Chima Chukwu | 2 | 2 | ||
| 7 | CB | | Tomislav Mrcela | 1 | 1 | |
| 22 | DM | | Lalrinliana Hnamte | 1 | 1 | |
| 71 | CB/LB | | Franjo Prce | 1 | 1 | |
| Total | 18 | 18 | ||||
| Rank | No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | ISL | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 14 | MF | | Wahengbam Angousana | 2 | 2 |
| 2 | 7 | FW | | Antonio Perošević | 1 | 1 |
| 8 | MF | | Mohammed Rafique | 1 | 1 | |
| 24 | FW | | Thongkhosiem Haokip | 1 | 1 | |
| 47 | CB/RB | | Raju Gaikwad | 1 | 1 | |
| 77 | CB/LB | | Franjo Prce | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Nat. | Player | ISL | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 25 | | Suvam Sen | 2 | 2 |
| 29 | | Arindam Bhattacharya | 1 | 1 |
| No. | Pos. | Nat. | Name | ISL | Remarks | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |  | | |||||
| 5 | CB | | Adil Khan | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 6 | DM | | Darren Sidoel | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 7 | FW | | Antonio Perošević | 2 | 0 | 0 | 1 | Received a five-match ban for the red card againstNorthEast United on 17 December 2021.[151][152] Missed the game againstHyderabad on 23 December 2021.[169] Missed the game againstBengaluru on 4 January 2022.[170] Missed the game againstMumbai City on 7 January 2022.[171] Missed the game againstJamshedpur on 11 January 2022.[172] Missed the game againstGoa on 19 January 2022.[173] |
| 13 | FW | | Naorem Mahesh Singh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 15 | FW | | Balwant Singh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 18 | CM | | Sourav Das | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 20 | LB | | Hira Mondal | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 22 | DM | | Lalrinliana Hnamte | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 24 | FW | | Thongkhosiem Haokip | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 29 | GK | | Arindam Bhattacharya | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 47 | CB/RB | | Raju Gaikwad | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 50 | LB | | Naocha Singh | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 55 | RB | | Ankit Mukherjee | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
| 80 | DM | | Amarjit Singh Kiyam | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | |
This is awarded weekly to the player chosen by fans voting at the Indian Super League website.[174]
| Week | Nat. | Player | Score | Opponents | Date | % Votes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Week 3 | | Darren Sidoel | 0–1 | Odisha | 30 November 2021 | 38.3% |
| Week 5 | | Antonio Perošević | 1–1 | Goa | 7 December 2021 | 49.5% |
| Week 13 | | Naorem Mahesh Singh | 0–1 | Goa | 25 January 2022 | 38.5% |
| Week 15 | | Darren Sidoel | 1–2 | Chennaiyin | 2 February 2022 | 57.2% |
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