Thank you for tuning in and staying till the end. My name is Mohak Arora and it was a pleasure bringing you the live updates from today's match. Keep following our website for more updates on the Durand Cup. https://www.sportskeeda.com/go/durand-cup
East Bengal 2-0 Army Red: The home side created a couple of chances in the first half which hit the woodwork. The frustration was growing in the East Bengal camp but a red card for Army Red goalkeeper Shanooz allowed Jamie Santos Colado to score a beautiful free kick followed by a Bidyashagar goal that sealed the win on the night.
91' East Bengal double their lead and put the match to bed. Samad Mallick's cross from the right is tapped in the back of the net by Bidyashagar who has impressed throughout his brief time on the pitch today.
85' GOAAALL!! Jamie Santos Colado scores from the resulting free kick. A rocketed free kick from the star forward beats the substitute goalkeeper in goal.
75' Sushil Shah goes down in the middle of the pitch without any contact and referee stops the play for his treatment with East Bengal players and fans expressing their frustration at the decision.
71' Brandon's cross from the left wing found Jamie Santos Colado in the centre of the box but his header goes wide as Army Red breathe a sigh of relief.
59' East Bengal make their first couple of changes with Kassim Aidara replacing PC Rohlupuia. The teenage sensation Abhijit Sarkar is also replaced by former Mohun Bagan player Pintu Mahata.
Half time: East Bengal hit the woodwork numerous times in the first half but Army Red stood tall and both the sides are goalless going into the half-time break. Jamie Santos Colado and Boithang Haokip would be frustrated by their missed chances in the first half.
36' A free kick from the right finds Army Red skipper Suresh Meitei but he fails to get a shot away as East Bengal get away with some poor defending from the set piece routine.
30' An accurate long ball is hit towards Boithang Haokip who cuts in and curls his shot towards the far post but the ball hits the crossbar and goes out for a goal kick.
24' Abhijit Sarkar's shot is saved by the Army Red goalkeeper, following which Sushil Shah is booked for his foul twenty five yards away from the goal. Jamie Santos Colado's free kick hits the post as the visitors survive another scare at the back.
19' The Quess East Bengal skipper is fouled on the halfway line. From the resulting free kick, Jaime Santos puts in a delicious ball in the six-yard box which was met by no red shirt in the middle.
8' Lalrindika Ralte's long ball finds East Bengal in the Army Red penalty area but Abhijeet Sarkar's wild shot wastes the opportunity to open the scoring on the day. A cross from Jaime Santos Colado lands in the six-yard box but fails to find a red shirt as the ball is cleared for a corner.
3' East Bengal are playing in red and black while Army Red are clad in all white. An early attack from Army Red is cleared by the teenage midfielder Abhijit Sarkar.
The 129th edition of Asia's oldest football tournament kicked off yesterday as Mohun Bagan beat city rivals Mohammedan 2-0 courtesy of a brace from their new signing Salva Chamorro.
East Bengal is one of the two most successful teams in the tournament, alongside Mohun Bagan with both the sides winning the prestigious tournament 16 times a piece. But, the Reds and Golds last won the tournament in 2004 while their opponents for the day, Army Reds have won the tournament only once, in 2005.
The match will be played at East Bengal's home ground, the 'East Bengal Ground' on Saturday at 3 p.m. The home team is also competing in the Calcutta Football League and Alejandro Menendez will be expected to heavily rotate his side to manage the workload of the players.
I-League giants East Bengal and Army Reds are ready to battle it out in the second match of this year's Durand Cup. The 16-time champions are the clear favorites but Army Reds will be a tough competition given that it's the first match of the season for East Bengal.