The victory, powered by debutant Hamid Ahadad\u2019s second-half strike, was the Kolkata giant\u2019s second win on the trot and took them to the top of the group standings.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Making his first appearance for the Red and Gold brigade, Moroccan forward Ahadad came off the bench to score the decisive goal in the 68th minute, finally breaking through a wall of Namdhari resistance and a string of heroic saves by goalkeeper Niraj Kumar.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Head coach Oscar Bruzon rotated his side after their opening win, making four changes including a start for Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos, Brazilian playmaker Miguel Figueira, and winger Bipin Singh. Namdhari, missing suspended defender Manbir Singh, brought back skipper Akashdeep Singh and striker Manish Chaudhary in a restructured XI.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
From the opening whistle, East Bengal dominated possession and peppered the Namdhari goal. Niraj Kumar was called into action as early as the ninth minute, denying Diamantakos with a brave dive at his feet. The goalkeeper would go on to frustrate the hosts time and again \u2014 cutting out a dangerous ball from Bipin, saving a powerful shot from Mohammed Rashid, and stopping efforts from Crespo and Mahesh.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Miguel Figueira came closest to opening the scoring, rattling the post twice and then striking the crossbar with a thunderous header in the 42nd minute. But despite the siege, Namdhari\u2019s compact low block and Niraj\u2019s brilliance kept the game goalless at half-time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
East Bengal resumed control after the break, with Diamantakos and Figueira continuing to probe, while Namdhari offered a brief spark when Dharmpreet Singh shot wide from their only major second-half chance.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
Miguel Figueira came closest to opening the scoring, rattling the post twice and then striking the crossbar with a thunderous header in the 42nd minute. But despite the siege, Namdhari\u2019s compact low block and Niraj\u2019s brilliance kept the game goalless at half-time.<\/p>\r\n\r\n
The result sees East Bengal lead Group A with six points and a +6 goal difference, while Namdhari \u2014 with six points from three matches and a +3 GD \u2014 remain in contention for the quarterfinals as one of the potential best second-placed teams.<\/p>\r\n\r\n