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East Bengal start ISL title defence with 4-0 win at Churchill Brothers
Dani Ramirez scored with a free-kick inside two minutes on his debut, Edmund Lalrindika doubled the lead and substitute Bipin Singh struck twice late on in Goa.
Key points
- East Bengal beat Churchill Brothers 4-0 in their first ISL match of the season.
- New signing Dani Ramirez scored from a free-kick in the second minute.
- Substitute Bipin Singh scored twice in the last five minutes.
East Bengal began the defence of their Indian Super League title in style on Sunday, beating Churchill Brothers 4-0 at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.
Dani Ramirez, signed in the summer to replace Miguel Figueira, needed less than two minutes of his ISL debut to make his mark. His left-footed free-kick from just outside the box flew into the top corner, and he went on to create two more clear chances and complete more than 50 passes.
Churchill, who had beaten Mumbai City in their first ever ISL match, raised their tempo after the early setback and hit the woodwork. But East Bengal stayed organised at the back, and Edmund Lalrindika made it 2-0 before half-time, finishing a move set up by David Lalhlansanga.
Antonio Habas had picked only three foreign players, one of them a centre-back, and left both his foreign strikers, Arnaud Loba and Lukasz Zwolinski, on the bench. Rohit Danu, Lalrindika and David led the line instead.
Churchill coach Dimitris Dimitriou started with an all-Indian back line, and the hosts could not turn their second-half chances into goals. Habas sent on Bipin Singh, and the winger settled it with two goals in the last five minutes: a curling shot into the top corner in the 85th minute, then a finish from a cross shortly afterwards.
“A statement victory to kickstart our title defense,” East Bengal said in a post after the match.