Mohun Bagan Super Giant began their Durand Cup campaign with a 1-0 win over arch-rivals East Bengal in the opening match of the tournament at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.Sahal Abdul Samad scored the only goal of the match in the 52nd minute, while goalkeeper Vishal Kaith made a series of important saves to help Mohun Bagan keep a clean sheet.The decisive moment came after Mohun Bagan pressed high up the pitch. Youngster Kiyan Nassiri won possession near the East Bengal penalty area before driving to the byline and sending the ball across goal. Manvir Singh attempted a backheel but failed to make contact, allowing the ball to roll to Sahal, who slotted it into an open net.The victory marked a winning start for new Mohun Bagan head coach Panagiotis Dilberis.
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His side stayed organised throughout the match, with Kaith leading the defence and Rahul Bheke helping keep East Bengal’s attackers quiet.For East Bengal, it was a losing start under new coach Antonio Habas despite an improved display after the break.The first half was evenly contested, with Mohun Bagan seeing more of the ball while East Bengal looked to create chances on the counterattack. Neither team managed a clear scoring opportunity before halftime as both defences remained compact.East Bengal stepped up the pressure in the final 15 minutes and spent long periods in Mohun Bagan’s half in search of an equaliser.Jeakson Singh tried to find P V Vishnu with a long pass from deep, but the ball ran out of play. Soon after, Mohammed Rashid met a loose ball on the edge of the box with a first-time volley, but Deepak Tangri produced a timely sliding block to deny the effort.East Bengal’s best chance came in the 87th minute when Vishnu delivered a cross from the left. Dani Ramirez got a touch at the near post, but the ball struck the outside of the post and went behind.Kaith then produced the defining save of the match in the second minute of stoppage time. Ramirez floated a cross to the far post where Rashid connected from close range, but Kaith dived to his right to make a point-blank save and seal the win for Mohun Bagan.The tournament continues on Sunday in Ranchi, where Jamshedpur FC will face defending champions NorthEast United FC in a Group C match.
