Durand Cup: East Bengal tops group A with dominant display

Kolkata (West Bengal) [India], August 10 (ANI): Emami East Bengal FC capped off their Group A campaign in the 134th Durand Cup with a resounding 6-1 win over Indian Air Force FT at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, registering three wins from three and finishing top of the group, according to a release from Durand Cup.
Six different scorers found the net for the Red and Gold Brigade, as Oscar Bruzon's rotated side combined flair and ruthlessness to overwhelm the Airmen. East Bengal's head coach Oscar Bruzon made five changes to his starting XI, bringing in Hamid Ahadad, Edmund Lalrindika, Kevin Sibille, Provat Lakra, and Jeakson Singh in a 4-3-3 setup.
Priya Darshan made three changes for the Airmen, bringing back captain Subhajit Basu in goal, Amarnath in attack, and Ashik Rahman in defence in their 4-4-2 formation. East Bengal were on the front foot from the first whistle, forcing Subhajit into back-to-back saves from Ahadad and Anwar headers in the 3rd minute.
The Moroccan striker, fresh from scoring on debut, continued his fine form by opening the scoring in the 7th minute, calmly slotting home at the far post with his head after Edmund's measured cross. Ahadad almost doubled his tally six minutes later, breaking free on the counter from a Samuel through-ball, he chipped it past the goalkeeper Subhajit only to be denied by a last-ditch clearance from Amarnath.
The Airmen's high line struggled to cope with East Bengal's movement, and in the 25th minute Bipin Singh made it 2-0, showing composure to round the keeper and finish after capitalising on a midfield turnover. The Airmen found a lifeline in the 36th minute. A patient build-up ended with Jijo Jerone delivering a precise cross from the right for Aman Khan, who glanced his header past East Bengal goalkeeper Gill to make it 2-1 with perfection.
Moments before halftime, Miguel Figueira went close with a curling free-kick, but East Bengal went into the break with a narrow lead. The Red and Gold Brigade resumed with intent, Edmund and Mahesh both testing the keeper early in the second half. In the 63rd minute, Miguel's corner was met by a towering header from Anwar Ali, restoring East Bengal's two-goal cushion.
Three minutes after the third goal, Bruzon sent on Saul Crespo, Basim Rashid, and David Hmer, a move that paid immediate dividends. In the 68th minute, a partial clearance fell to Basim outside the box, and the substitute drilled a precise strike past Basu for 4-1.
East Bengal's relentless pressing forced errors, and in the 85th, Subhajit's punched clearance from Edmund's cross fell straight to Crespo's right foot, who volleyed into an empty net for the fifth. In the final minute of regulation time, Miguel's header found substitute David Hmer, who nodded home to complete the 6-1 win.
The emphatic result sees East Bengal finish the group stage with a perfect record and a statement of intent ahead of the knockout rounds, while the Airmen bow out with just a point from three matches. (ANI)