East Bengal 1-0 Namdhari FC Highlights, Durand Cup 2025: New Signing Hamid Ahadad Seals Win For Torch Bearers

Good evening, football fans! The Durand Cup action returns to Kolkata, with East Bengal facing Namdhari FC. The action from VYBK kicks off at 7:00 PM IST, so stay tuned for pre-match updates and line-ups as they are released.

The Durand Cup 2025 will be live-streamed on the SonyLIV app and website. The television broadcast will take place on the Sony Sports Network channels.

East Bengal began their Durand Cup journey in an emphatic manner, winning 5-0 against South United FC in their first game. Five different players were on target for the Torch Bearers, including big names like Naorem Mahesh Singh and Dimitrios Diamantakos.

The Red and Gold Brigade have not had any matches since, with a two-week break until today's fixture.

Namdhari FC have been one of the surprise packages of Durand Cup so far. The I-League side have won both their matches in Group A, starting with a clinical 2-0 win againt South United FC, courtesy of goals from Bhupinder and Degol. In their second match against Indian Air Force FT, the Punjab-based side came back from behind to win 4-2.

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill (GK), Mohamad Rakip, Anwar Ali, Martand Raina, Lalchungnunga, Mohammed Rashid, Miguel Ferreira, Saul Crespo, Naorem Mahesh Singh (c), Bipin Singh, Dimitrios Diamantakos

Niraj Kumar (GK), Akashdeep Singh (c), Gurshan Singh, Cledson 'Degol' DaSilva, Amandeep Singh, Nimratpal Singh, Jaskaranpreet Singh, Lamine Moro, Kamalpreet Singh, Manish Chaudhary, Bhupinder Singh

After shaking hands with the dignitaries, the players take their positions on the pitch. The referee blows his whistle, and we are underway at the Salt Lake Stadium.

EBFC 0-0 NAM (0')

A very bright start from East Bengal in the opening four minutes or so. Miguel Ferreira had a shot off target in the opening minute itself, and since then, the Red and Gold Brigade have controlled posession. Namdhari are chasing shadows at the moment.

Other than two bursting runs from Namdhari, mos tof the attacking pressure has come from East Bengal's attackers. However, Nunga is not happy with Saul, with the Spaniard leaving him alone to deal with Namdhari's pacy wingers. East Bengal will need to be careful as they are committing numbers forward.

East Bengal are getting closer with every minute to getting the opener. Nunga's inch-perfect cross almost found Dimi in the box, but luckily, it is millimetres ahead of the striker.

How did that no go in?! Miguel Ferreira, who has been lively up front, has a shot from distance that rattled the right bar. Niraj was completely beaten. So, so unlucky for East Bengal.

A very strange decision from Namdhari FC's manager, making a substitution in the 27th minute. Amandeep Singh comes off, and he is NOT happy about it. In his place, Dharmpreet Singh comes on.

Despite the odd forward runs from Namdhari, East Bengal have contunued their dominance in the match. Chungnunga had a shot that was blocked by the defence, and Degol earns a yellow for a sliding challenge on Anwar Ali.

Mahesh takes a free-kick from the left edge of the box, and the ball finds Saul Crespo. The Spaniard heads it towards near post, and Niraj brings out a save of the highest order to palm it away from danger. The goalkeeper seems to have hurt himself in the process.

How unlucky are East Bengal?! Miguel Ferreira is pulled down in the box by a Namdhari FC defender, but the referee waves play on. The East Bengal players are not pleased at all, and Mahesh earns a yellow card for complaining too much. In the resulting corner, the ball finds an unmarked Ferreira, who's bullet header hits the top bar AGAIN and ricochets back.

Correction: The yellow card was actually meant for Miguel Ferraira, not Naorem Mahesh Singh.

The match stays goalless at the break. The actual game has been quite different, with Miguel Ferreira hitting the post THRICE. East Bengal, despite their dominance, will have their luck to blame not to have found the back of the net yet. Nine shots to their name, compared to zero from Namdhari FC.

The players are out on the pitch again, and the second half is underway. Can East Bengal finally break the deadlock? Namdhari make a change at the break, with Seilenthang Lotjem replacing Jaskarnpreet.

East Bengal are pushing in the early moments for the opener, and Naorem Mahesh almost finds Diamantakos with a terrific cross from the left. Niraj does well to pluck it out of the air.

East Bengal continue to dominate the match, with Diamantakos geting more and more involved. However, the final pass is still missing, and EBFC's new signing - Morocco's Hamid Ahadad - is warming up on the pitchside. Time for fresh legs?

An absolute clanger from Niraj. The goalkeeper has been Namdhari's best player tonight, but he completely misses the plot as he rushes out to punch the ball away but grasps at air. The ball falls to Hamid Ahadad, and the Moroccan, who replaced Diamantakos a few minutes ago, heads it into an empty net.

As the second water break begins, East Bengal are in total control of the match, with Ahadad's goal giving them some breathing space. In fact, all of Bruzon's substitutions have looked inspired, with Martand Raina and Sibille looking bright since coming on as well. A long 15 minutes left for Namdhari FC.

Five minutes of added time indicated by the fourth official. East Bengal have continued to dominate the attack, with both Nandhakumar and Chungnunga having cracks at Niraj's goal. Will the second goal come for the hosts?

Two glorious chances for East Bengal to double their lead. A free-kick by Bassem Rashid finds Anwar Ali. The defender, unmarked in the box, heads it wide. Then, Edmund takes on two defenders and crosses the ball towards Hamid. With an open net in front of him, the Moroccan slices it high and wide.

It's all over at the Salt Lake Stadium, and East Bengal emerge victorious and go top of Group A with tied on six points with Namdhari FC. Oscar Bruzon will be slightly disappointed that his side only managed one goal, but it's all about the three points.