East Bengal pulled off a narrow win against Namdhari SA in a Durand Cup match in Kolkata on Wednesday.
| Photo Credit: DEBASISH BHADURI
Moroccan substitute Hamid Ahadad’s 68th minute goal helped Emami East Bengal FC beat Namdhari Sports Academy by a solitary goal in a Group-A match of the 134th Durand Cup tournament at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday, to brighten its quarterfinal chances.
With four foreigners in its ranks, East Bengal made a strong start and enjoyed around 70 per cent ball possession but that dominance was not reflected in the scoreline as its attackers failed to utilise the chances.
Namdhari also rode its luck seeing three attempts from the East Bengal forward Miguel Damasceno coming off the framework.
Ahadad, who came in as a 61st minute substitute, found the mark in the 68th minute from a Damasceno corner to secure the win for East Bengal, which now has six points from two wins with a match to go.
Earlier, Indo-Tibetan Border Police football team held ISL side Punjab FC to a goalless draw in a Group-D match at the SAI Stadium in Kokrajhar.
Punjab FC earned a lot of scoring chances but its forwards muffed opportunities and allowed ITBP snatch a point from the goalless encounter. Both teams remained locked on top of the group standings with four points each from two matches and will now face local side Bodoland FC in their last group league matches.
The results: Group-A (Kolkata): Emami East Bengal 1 (Hamid Ahadad 68) bt Namdhari SA 0.
Group-D (Kokrajhar): Punjab FC 0 drew with ITBP FT 0.
Published – August 06, 2025 10:30 pm IST
