Football
Durand Cup 2022: East Bengal draw against Indian Navy to commence new era
Emami East Bengal has to be content with a goalless draw against Indian Navy in Durand Cup 2022.
East Bengal's Tuhin Das in action against Indian Navy. (Source: Suman Chattopadhyay)
Kolkata giants East Bengal, under new Head coach Stephen Constantine, started their Durand Cup 2022 campaign with a goalless draw against Indian Navy. Although the lack of goals was frowned upon, the fans of the Red and Gold brigade will be happy with the performance.
In the first half, Constantine's men were stringing up passes and moving up to the pitch to create chances. However, they weren't being converted. Captain Sumeet Passi, naturally a forward, was slotted in the right-back position by the coach. A moment saw Passi let off a thumping strike which could only rattle the upright.
The Indian Navy troubled their opponents a bit in the first half, but EB's centre-backs in Lal Chungnunga and Ankit Mukherjee stood strong. The armed forces side barely had the ball in the second half.
The introduction of Alex Lima in the attack, and the decision to move Passi move up the pitch, saw a much more dominant East Bengal side that was creating plenty chances. Unfortunately, the likes of Passi, Lima, and substitute Mahitosh were unable to get themselves on the score sheet.
Winger Tuhin Das was a bright light and showed a lot of potential after he was introduced into the game early on as a replacement for Naorem Mahesh Singh, who got injured in the first 10 minutes of the game.
East Bengal will next face a buoyant Rajasthan United FC, who will be coming off an impressive win against ATK Mohun Bagan.
