Margao: “Childish mistakes.”That’s what Churchill Brothers coach Dimitris Dimitriou had blamed for his team’s back-to-back losses in the Indian Super League (ISL). Well, nothing has changed. The club’s third loss in as many games could be pinned on individual errors as the debutants lost 0-2 against NorthEast United at the Nehru Stadium, Fatorda, on Thursday.Ethyan Gonzalez gave NorthEast the lead in the 16th minute before Antonio Moyano struck into stoppage time (90+3’) to seal all three points.The win took NorthEast to second on the table with 11 points from five matches, one behind leaders Mohun Bagan. Churchill are ninth, having picked up three points from their opener against Mumbai City before losing three in a row.Churchill do not return to action until Nov 22 when they take on Kolkata giants Mohun Bagan SG. The international break should give the management plenty of time to reflect, and they can take the loss against NorthEast as an indicator of how things have gone south.Churchill had NorthEast backtracking in the opening quarter but lacked the final touch that translates chances into goals. Sanathoi Meetei, for example, snatched the ball close to the goal but could not find his teammate.When Wayde Lekay closed quickly on the goalkeeper and forced him into losing the ball, the South African striker could have taken aim at goal himself. Instead, he chose to pass to Sebastian Gutierrez, whose close-range effort, with the goalkeeper out of position, was bravely blocked by defender Eneko Sarrustegui.NorthEast surged ahead quite unexpectedly, thanks to “childish mistakes” as Churchill lost the ball twice in quick succession. Captain Kingslee Fernandes first gave away the ball to Alaaeddine Ajaraie, but the danger was somehow averted. However, almost immediately Joseph Okoro played a loose ball for Melroy Assisi, which MS Jithin reacted quickest and laid it into the path of Ethyan. The Spaniard kept his composure, spotted the goalkeeper off his line and delicately chipped the ball over the keeper with the outside of his foot.Another wrong pass in the 40th minute saw Macarton Louis Nickson thread a fine ball through for Jithin, but the winger could not control the ball with only the keeper ahead of him.In the second half, Churchill fluffed chances. Vincy Barreto shot wide from a good position, Gutierrez overhit his through ball for Wayde, and the South African striker himself ended with a weak shot, straight into the arms of NorthEast goalkeeper Gurmeet.The closest the hosts came to equalising was in the final minute of regulation time as Angousana Wahengbam failed to capitalise on a rebound inside the box.In stoppage time, NorthEast had their second. Nikola Ninkovic produced a delightful through ball to release Abdul Rabeeh, who drove forward before setting up Moyano. The Spanish midfielder controlled the ball and curled into the top corner.
