IMAGE: East Bengal’s Moroccan forward Hamid Ahadad celebrates after netting winner against Namdhari FC in the Durand Cup in Kolkata on Wednesday. Photograph: Durand Cup/X
East Bengal FC moved a step closer to securing a knockout berth at the 134th Durand Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over a resilient Namdhari FC in a tightly contested Group A match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Moroccan forward Hamid Ahadad, making his debut for the Red and Gold brigade, came off the bench to score the decisive goal in the 68th minute at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, handing East Bengal their second consecutive win of the tournament.
East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon made four changes to his lineup from their previous match, handing starts to goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Brazilian midfielder Miguel Figueira, and Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos, and Bipin Singh up front.
Namdhari’s Harpreet Singh, meanwhile, made two enforced changes, bringing in skipper Akashdeep Singh in defence and Manish Chaudhary in attack, as suspended defender Manbir Singh missed out.
The match kicked off with East Bengal taking immediate control, camping in the Namdhari half and creating chance after chance, only to be denied repeatedly by an inspired performance from goalkeeper Niraj Kumar.
In the ninth minute, Niraj was quick off his line to deny Diamantakos, and minutes later, intercepted a dangerous ball from Bipin Singh meant for Saul Crespo.
The barrage continued, with Mohammed Rashid’s powerful 17th-minute strike forcing another save, before Miguel Figueira struck the post twice in quick succession, once with a long-range effort and once with a header.
A Crespo attempt from a Mahesh freekick in the 39th was again stopped by Niraj on reflex, before Miguel hit the crossbar a third time with a bullet header in the 42nd minute.
Despite relentless pressure, Namdhari’s deep defensive block held firm and the score remained 0-0 at half time, thanks in large part to Niraj Kumar’s heroics and a bit of good fortune.
East Bengal resumed the second-half in similar fashion, dominating possession and looking for the breakthrough. Diamantakos had a weak shot saved in the 52nd minute before Namdhari’s Dharmpreet Singh fired wide in their only real chance in the opening exchanges of the second-half.
Sensing the need for a spark, Bruzon brought on Hamid Ahadad for Diamantakos in the 61st minute. The Moroccan made an instant impact just seven minutes later, when Miguel Figueira’s corner found him unmarked at the far post.
Niraj misjudged the flight of the ball, and Ahadad nodded home with ease to break the deadlock and open his account for the club.
The win saw East Bengal top Group A with six points and goal difference of +6 from two matches, while Namdhari remain in contention with two wins from three (six points and GD of +3), as two best second place teams in the group stage will make it to the quarterfinals.
ITBP hold Punjab FC
In the day’s other match, in Assam’s Kokrajhar, ITBP held Punjab FC to a goal-less draw in a Group D contest.
Punjab FC were wasteful in front of goal at the SAI Stadium, failing to convert their chances as ITBP showcased resilient defending to secure a hard-earned point. Both teams have four points from two matches and will now face Bodoland FC in their remaining group-stage matches.
