ISL: East Bengal's Brazilian No.10 pays tribute to Pele with special goal

East Bengal captain Cleiton Silva produced a special moment in the ISL on Friday night, celebrating his stoppage time goal through a direct free kick against Gurpreet Singh Sandhu of Bengaluru FC by recreating the late Pele's iconic celebration from the 1970 World Cup final.

Like Pele had jumped on Jarzinho to give football one of its defining moments, the Brazilian Cleiton Silva savoured the late winer against his former club with a nod to the heavens from the Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

Speaking after the match, Cleiton Silva said, "Pele will never pass away. Pele will be forever. Edison Arantes do Nascimento passed away today and it's very sad for us. But everything he did for everyone in the world, not just football and Brazil, is amazing. He will never be forgotten."

"Before the game, I talked with Suhair and we said we'll try to score and give it to Pele with the celebration. We tried, and pushed hard for it," he said.

East Bengal coach Stephen Constantine was happy as his side registered their first home win of the season with their captain scoring one of the best goals of the season. EB also completed the double over Bengaluru FC. For the Bengal club who have struggled since their ISL entry, this marks the first time they have completed the double over any club.

"If we have to rely on him (Silva) for 10 goals this season, I'll take it... He didn't stop running from start to finish and to score a goal on the day that the great man Pele passed away. From one Brazilian to another, I thought it was very fitting that it was a Brazilian that won the game for us," Constantine said at the press conference after the match.

"Perhaps the big man Pele transferred his free kick skills to Cleiton. What a goal! What a time to score it!" he said.

East Bengal FC took the lead thanks to a Silva penalty in the 39th minute but it was a 93rd minute goal, the latest that EB have scored a winner in ISL history, that they won the match 2-1.

With this win, EB rise to 8th place on the ISL points table. They will kick off the new year with a visit to the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar against Odisha FC on January 7. Bengaluru FC have now dropped down to 9th place and will visit the Indira Gandhi National Stadium in Guwahati to play NorthEast FC on January 6.

The AIFF have announced a seven-day period of mourning after Pele's death, and Friday's ISL match also began with a tribute to the Brazilian legend, who passed away on Thursday.