East Bengal dominated the contest from the opening whistle, controlling possession and keeping Indian Army pinned inside their own half. Dani Ramirez was at the centre of much of the attacking play and came close to breaking the deadlock early on.

The Spanish playmaker nearly found the target from a free-kick in the 12th minute, curling an effort just past the post. He then turned provider as East Bengal continued to create openings, while Lalchungnunga also tested Army goalkeeper Bhabindra Malla Thakuri with a powerful effort from distance.

The pressure eventually paid off in the 38th minute. Christopher Ikonomidis delivered a dangerous cross into the box, and Vishnu rose highest to meet it with a perfectly timed header. Thakuri managed to get fingertips to the effort but could not prevent it from finding the corner as East Bengal deservedly took the lead.

Indian Army struggled to create sustained attacking moves during the opening half, with East Bengal’s possession and pressing preventing them from building momentum. The Kolkata giants entered the interval with a narrow but deserved advantage.

The Services side returned from the break with greater attacking intent and began finding more opportunities. East Bengal, however, remained dangerous on the counter and almost doubled their lead around the hour mark when substitute Jesin T.K. intercepted a loose ball and raced towards goal. His attempted finish beat the goalkeeper but crashed against the crossbar.

Indian Army then produced one of their best chances of the evening when substitute Abhi S. Biju unleashed a powerful low effort that narrowly missed the target.

East Bengal continued to threaten at the other end, with Ramirez going close after being picked out inside the box. The Red-and-Gold Brigade increasingly looked to exploit the spaces left behind by the Army defence as the game entered its final stages.

The closing minutes saw East Bengal miss several opportunities to put the contest beyond doubt. Jesin T.K. was twice involved in promising one-on-one situations, first failing to convert after being played through by Bipin Singh before returning the favour and setting up the winger, who also could not find the finish.

Jesin came close again in the 87th minute, meeting a cross from Edmund Lalrindika with a header that went straight at Thakuri.

Despite their missed opportunities, East Bengal’s defence remained composed and dealt with Indian Army’s late pressure. The Services side came closest to an equaliser in stoppage time when Abhishek Shankar Pawar unleashed a dangerous effort, but East Bengal managed to see out the remaining minutes.

The final whistle confirmed a 1-0 victory for East Bengal, who dominated possession at around 80 per cent and controlled large portions of the encounter.

While the scoreline remained narrow, the performance underlined East Bengal’s control and defensive discipline. The Red-and-Gold Brigade now advance to the Durand Cup semi-finals, keeping their hopes of lifting the prestigious trophy alive.

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Having started their campaign with a victory, Indian Army entered the contest full of confidence and quickly took control of possession. Their attacking intent was evident from the opening minutes, forcing Baghpat goalkeeper Ayan Bhattacharya into an early intervention outside his penalty area to prevent a dangerous attack.

The breakthrough came in the 12th minute through a swift counter-attacking move. Christopher Kamei spotted Samir Murmu’s intelligent run behind the defence and delivered a perfectly weighted pass. Murmu timed his run to perfection before calmly lifting the ball over the advancing goalkeeper to hand the Army side a deserved lead.

Indian Army continued to dominate proceedings, stretching the Baghpat defence with dangerous attacks down both flanks. The pressure paid off once again in the 23rd minute when Christopher Kamei floated an inviting cross into the box, allowing Saikhom Borish Singh to rise highest and power a header into the back of the net for the second goal.

Baghpat attempted to respond and came close through substitute Senthamil S, whose header drifted wide after a teasing delivery from Crispin C. Cleetus. However, the Services side quickly regained control and extended their advantage in the 36th minute. Pardeep Singh’s header struck the post following another dangerous cross, but Shubham Rana reacted quickest to fire home the rebound from close range.

The first half ended on a high for Indian Army as Christopher Kamei capped off an outstanding performance with a stunning goal in stoppage time. After receiving a cutback from Pawar Abhishek Shankar, the midfielder shifted the ball onto his left foot before curling a superb effort into the top corner, giving his side a commanding 4-0 lead heading into the break.

Baghpat showed greater determination after halftime and enjoyed more possession, with captain Aaryan Amla, Ningthoukhongjam Rohen Singh and Crispin C. Cleetus trying to create openings in the final third. However, the Indian Army defence remained compact and disciplined, comfortably dealing with every attacking threat.

Despite easing off the tempo in the second half, Indian Army continued to create opportunities. Shubham Rana went close to adding another goal, while Ayan Bhattacharya produced two excellent saves to deny Pawar Abhishek Shankar and Samir Murmu, preventing the scoreline from becoming even more emphatic.

Baghpat also showed resilience in the closing stages, with substitute Tejas Narayan Choudhary making several important defensive contributions and Om Motghare producing a crucial block to deny another Army attack. However, the debutants were unable to find a breakthrough against a well-organised Indian Army backline.

The Services outfit comfortably managed the remainder of the contest to secure a second successive victory and strengthen their position at the top of Group B. For Baghpat FC, the defeat brought an end to their maiden Durand Cup campaign without a point, but the experience gained from competing against quality opposition will serve as an important learning curve for the club moving forward.

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Liton Shil gave the lead for the Army side in the 42^nd minute which was enough for the side to clinch victory against the ISL side.

Indian Army started the game on the front foot attacking the Odisha box. They could have scored in the very minute of the game as an unmarked Rahul Ramakrishnan failed to capitalize a good cutback from right winger L. Deepak Singh as he could not finish the move. Moments later, Christopher Kamei’s shot was saved by Odisha keeper, Niraj Kumar in the very next attack by the Army side.

Indian Army continued to pile on the pressure on the inexperienced Odisha as their frontline looked threatening in every move. Both teams could not create clear cut chances as the game was mostly played in the center of the park.

In the 42^nd minute of the game, Samir Murmu played a through ball for center forward Liton Shil who ran past two defenders and finished expertly beyond the Odisha keeper to give the Indian Army side the lead.

Odisha started the second half with more vigor looking for the equalizer but the Army men used their experience to slow down the game and play it to their advantage against the youngsters of Odisha. Liton Shil was always posing a threat for the Odisha defence along with Deepak Singh with Christopher Kamei controlling the proceedings from midfield.

Indian Army were reduced to ten men in the 77^th minute as goal scorer Liton Shil was shown a straight red card for a clumsy foul on Odisha defender Tankadhar Bag. Odisha put continuous pressure on the Army side but the experienced Army men saw off the dangers to open their Durand Cup campaign with a win.

FT – Odisha FC 0 – 1 Indian Army FT (Liton 42’)

Double Header Tomorrow

FC Goa will start their campaign in Group D against newly promoted I-League side Shillong Lajong FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati at 3 PM. Shillong Lajong had lost their first match against Northeast United.

Last year’s runner’s up and ISL Champions Mumbai City FC will face off against Jamshedpur FC in a Group B fixture at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharathi Krirangan, Kolkata at 6 PM.

Also Read: Bangladesh Army Football Team hold 10-man Emami East Bengal

Also Read: Hyderabad FC held on to a draw by Delhi FC

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