Head coach Antonio López Habas made several changes to his starting XI, introducing fresh faces across the pitch, and the decision paid immediate dividends as East Bengal took complete control from the opening whistle. The hosts dominated possession, created a flurry of chances and pinned CISF deep inside their own half, with Vishnu, Jesin T.K. and Edmund Lalrindika constantly stretching the visitors’ defence.

Despite East Bengal’s relentless pressure, CISF managed to hold firm for much of the opening half. Vishnu struck the woodwork with an acrobatic effort, Jeakson Singh fired narrowly wide, while goalkeeper Raj Kumar Mahato produced a string of impressive saves to frustrate the Kolkata giants.

The breakthrough finally arrived in the 38th minute through a moment of brilliance from Vishnu. Edmund Lalrindika’s cutback found the winger inside the penalty area, where he produced a clever backheel finish to put East Bengal ahead. The hosts doubled their advantage just four minutes later when Vishnu’s dangerous cross deflected off CISF captain Mohammad Khalid and found its way into the net as an unfortunate own goal.

Deep into first-half stoppage time, Daniel Ramírez displayed excellent awareness to square the ball for Jeakson Singh, who calmly tapped into an empty net to send East Bengal into the interval with a comfortable 3-0 lead.

Any hopes of a CISF comeback disappeared moments after the restart. Just two minutes into the second half, Sandip Mandi delivered a teasing cross into the box and Vishnu produced a stunning overhead kick to score his second goal of the evening, capping off one of the finest finishes of the tournament so far.

With complete control of the contest, East Bengal continued to attack in waves. Habas introduced fresh legs after the hour mark, and the substitutes made an immediate impact. Bipin Singh added the fifth goal after finishing off a swift counter-attack before Jesin T.K. got his name on the scoresheet with a composed finish after latching onto a perfectly weighted through ball.

The final stages turned into a goal-scoring exhibition. Jesin struck again to grab his brace before Vishnu completed a memorable hat-trick by steering Bipin Singh’s cross into the back of the net, taking East Bengal’s tally to eight and equalling the biggest winning margin in the history of the Durand Cup.

While the attack grabbed the headlines, East Bengal were equally impressive defensively, allowing CISF very little joy throughout the contest. Goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa was rarely called into action as the hosts completely dominated every area of the pitch from start to finish.

The emphatic victory earned East Bengal their first three points of the campaign and provided the perfect response after their defeat in the opening Kolkata Derby. With confidence restored and their attacking unit firing on all cylinders, the Red-and-Gold Brigade will now look to carry this momentum into their remaining group-stage fixtures as they continue their pursuit of the prestigious Durand Cup title.

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