Diamond Harbour FC stun East Bengal to face NorthEast United FC in the Durand Cup final!
Diamond Harbour FC (DHCF) pulled off a stunning 2-1 victory over 16-time champion East Bengal in the Durand Cup semifinal at the Salt Lake Stadium on Wednesday to secure their place in the Durand Cup final. DHFC’s historic achievement with two consecutive victories against Jamshedpur FC and East Bengal was inspired mainly by a superb show from their custodian Mirshad K. Michu, who had a stunning show under the bars, and Spanish striker Mikel Kortazar, whose acrobatic bicycle kick in the 66th minute not only gave DHFC the lead but brought the spirit among their teammates. Joby Justin, also a former East Bengal footballer, sealed the opposition’s fate in the 83rd minute, jabbing home from the goalmouth melee. Earlier, Anwar Ali leveled the scoreline within a minute after conceding the goal, unleashing a splendid long-ranger. The red-and-gold brigade’s dominance prevailed over their spirited opposition for the last session as they created chances during this period, but finally surrendered to Michu’s gallant effort.
East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan Supar Giants; Dedicate the victory to Mohammed Rashid
East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan Super Giants 2-1 in the Durand Cup quarterfinal to qualify for the semifinal at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday. The Red-and-Gold Brigade dedicated the win to Mohammed Rashid, who had left for home after getting the news of his father’s demise, days before the match. Dimitrios Diamantakos stole the limelight on the day, scoring a brace in the 38th and 52nd minute, respectively, for the Oscar Bruzon-coached side. It was a new East Bengal squad consisting of new foreigners and new Indian footballers. Significantly, it was an ordeal for the club management, especially for the team’s think-tank, after a series of disastrous performances in the last couple of years. The whole East Bengal fraternity was waiting for the performance of the new batch of footballers, roped in this season. The think-tank of the team led by chief coach Oscar Bruzon and newly appointed Football Director Thangboi Shingto earned the pass mark, at least on the day against the fancied MBSG. Except for the last 20 minutes, it was the Red-and-Gold brigade that had domination over their opposition. Led by Brazilian midfielder Miguel Fereira in the midfield and buoyed by Mahesh and Bipin Singh’s agility down the flanks as well as a compact show by Rakip and Anwar Ali, East Bengal turned things around. Jubilant East Bengal fans might also be relieved of the newly roped-in Argentine defender Kevin Sibille’s show, who made a brilliant goal-line clearance in the 58th minute.
The Red-and-gold brigade hopes to revive with their new four signings this season
East Bengal seems to have completed the signing of its foreign footballers for the upcoming season. The club has decided to move on from Messi Bouli, Hijazi Maher, Madih Talal, and Hector Yuste after a forgettable last season, where it lost the Super Cup and finished out of the play-off race in the Indian Super League. Instead, Miguel Figueira from Brazil, Mohammed Rashid from Palestine, Hamid Ahadad from Morocco, and Kevin Sibille from Argentina have all joined East Bengal and will reach Kolkata later this month. Figueira will reunite with East Bengal’s Oscar Bruzon, under whom he won three consecutive Bangladesh Premier League titles with Bashundhara Kings, while Kevin Sibille is expected to replace Maher at the back. The River Plate Academy product from Argentina has joined the side from the Spanish third-division side, Ponferradina. Rashid, who helped Palestine reach the round of 16 of the AFC Asian Cup for the first time last year, will add quality in the midfield, while Bouli’s replacement, Ahadad, will empower an arsenal packed with Indian forwards and the 2023-24 Golden Boot winner, Dimitrios Diamantakos. The club, however, has also completed the signing of defender Jay Gupta from FC Goa on a multi-year deal before the 2025-26 season. Indian clubs in the top two tiers of men’s football are allowed to register up to six foreigners, and though the Durand Cup squad has not been announced yet, most first-team members will likely be included in the side. The 23-year-old was on the Kolkata club’s shortlist along with compatriot Abhishek Singh Tekcham, but as the transfer bid for the latter inflated, the club went for Jay with a fee of over one crore rupees.
Durand Cup: EB start campaign on 23rd July, MBSG on 31st July, and MDSP on 28th July
The 16-time winner, East Bengal will start their campaign in the forthcoming Durand Cup against South United FC on 23rd July at the Salt Lake Stadium. East Bengal have been grouped with South United FC, Namdhari FC, and the Air Force. The red-and-gold brigade will play their next two matches in the group on 6th August and 10th August, respectively. However, Mohun Bagan Super Giants, the 17-time winner in the Durand Cup, will play their opener in the tournament on 31st July against Mohammedan Sporting at the Salt Lake Stadium, changing their primary decision of withdrawing from the tournament. MBSG will play their two other group league matches against Border Security Force and against Diamond Harbor FC on 9th August. Drawn in Group B with Mohammedan Sporting, Diamond Harbor FC, and Border Security Force, all its group-stage matches will be held in Kolkata at Salt Lake Stadium and Kishore Bharati Krirangan. Mohamedan Sports have been scheduled to start their campaign in the Durand Cup on 28th July against Diamond Harbor FC on 28th July. The black-and-white briade won the title twice so far, once in 1940 and then in 2013.
