Debut Delight for Ahadad as East Bengal Edge Namdhari in Durand Cup Match
- Pixel Sports Football Desk
- 5 days ago
- 2 min read
Sometimes, football is about patience. And on a humid evening at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Emami East Bengal FC showed exactly that: waiting, probing, and finally finding their moment through debutant Hamid Ahadad, whose 68th-minute header sealed a narrow but vital 1-0 victory over a resolute Namdhari FC in the 134th IndianOil Durand Cup.
Head Coach Oscar Bruzon rang the changes as Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Miguel Figueira, Dimitrios Diamantakos, and Bipin Singh were handed starts. Namdhari’s Harpreet Singh had to reshuffle with two forced changes, missing suspended defender Manbir Singh.
From the outset, it was one-way traffic. East Bengal camped in Namdhari’s half, peppering the goal with efforts. But they ran into a human wall in the form of Niraj Kumar, the Namdhari goalkeeper who pulled off a string of stunning saves denying Diamantakos early, then producing reflex stops to frustrate Saul Crespo, Mohammed Rashid, and Figueira. The Brazilian midfielder was particularly unlucky, striking the woodwork three times before the break.
The second half brought more of the same: East Bengal probing, Namdhari absorbing. Then came the breakthrough. Bruzon’s decision to introduce Ahadad in the 61st minute paid off almost instantly. From a Figueira corner, the Moroccan found himself unmarked at the far post, and with Niraj misjudging the flight, he nodded home with composure.
Namdhari did threaten late on, with Kamal’s freekick nearly finding Dasilva, but East Bengal’s backline, marshalled by Anwar Ali and Martand Raina, stood firm. The win keeps East Bengal atop Group A with six points and a +6 goal difference from two matches.
The Torch Bearers now look ahead to their final group game against Indian Air Force FT on August 10, knowing a knockout berth is firmly within reach.
