East Bengal kicked off the new season on a disastrous note as the Kolkata giants were knocked out of the IFA Shield following a shocking 1-3 loss to a young Tata Football Academy in a Group A tie at the Vidyasagar Krirangan in Barasat, West Bengal, on Thursday.
Trailing 0-1 at half-time, the Tata boys equalised at the change of ends and pumped in two goals in a space of two minutes at the death to virtually enter the next round.
Playing without the services of star 'keeper Subrata Paul, East Bengal took the lead in the 40th minute on the counter through skipper Syed Rahim Nabi.
TFA, who kept probing the East Bengal defence, equalised in the 61st minute through Jagtar Singh, while Irfan Khan's header in the 87th minute saw the youngsters go 2-1 up against the local favourites.
But TFA's antics didn't stop there as Robin Singh struck the killer blow in the 89th minute to end East Bengal's IFA Shield campaign.
Having played a 1-1 draw with Chirag United SC in their earlier match, TFA now lead Group A with four points to have a bright prospect of making it to the last-four.
East Bengal, on the other hand, are out of the Shield as a win against United SC would be insufficient for their progress into the semifinals.
