East Bengal FC kicks off IFA Shield 2025 With a Bang!

Image Credit: Emami East Bengal FC

East Bengal FC began their IFA Shield 2025 campaign with a comfortable 4–0 win over Sreenidi Deccan FC at the Kalyani Stadium.

Debutant left back Jay Gupta opened the scoring in the 21'. Miguel Figueira’s freekick was pushed away by the Sreenidi Deccan goalkeeper, and Jay Gupta reacted quickest to tap the ball in from close range. East Bengal doubled their lead in the 38' when Bipin Singh’s cross found Saul Crespo, whose header guided the ball past the keeper to make it 2–0.

After the restart, East Bengal continued to control the game. In the 47', Bipin Singh provided another fine cross, this time with his left foot, and Hamid Ahadad finished neatly, placing the ball perfectly into the corner. This marked Bipin’s second assist of the match. Just four minutes later, in the 51', Jeakson Singh, who had come on as a substitute, found the net from Saul Crespo’s corner to make it 4–0.

Despite the convincing scoreline, the performance was not without flaws. East Bengal looked rusty at times, often slow to chase second balls and reluctant to press when out of possession. Most of their goals came from set pieces and defensive errors by Sreenidi Deccan rather than fluid attacking play. Still, it was a professional start to the tournament. The defenders and goalkeeper Debjit Majumdar had an easy outing, rarely troubled throughout the match. Head coach Oscar Bruzon used the opportunity to rotate his squad and give almost every player some valuable minutes on the pitch. With the first win secured, East Bengal will now look to sharpen their rhythm as the tournament progresses. East Bengal FC will next be in action on 14th October 2025, when they face Namdhari FC in their second and final group stage match.