East Bengal FC bounced back from their Kolkata Derby defeat in emphatic fashion, thrashing CISF Protectors 8-0 in their Group A encounter of the Durand Cup 2026 at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Friday.
Vishnu P.V. was the star of the show, completing a hat-trick as East Bengal produced a dominant attacking performance. Jesin T.K. contributed two goals, while Jeakson Singh and Bipin Singh also got on the scoresheet. CISF captain Mohammad Khalid’s own goal further added to the visitors’ misery.
Antonio López Habas made six changes to the side that started against Mohun Bagan Super Giant and switched to a 4-3-3 formation. Phurba Lachenpa, Hardik Bhatt, Vishnu, Daniel Ramírez, Mohamad Basim Rashid and Jesin T.K. were brought into the starting XI.
CISF Protectors also made two changes, with Mohammad Khalid returning as captain and Aditya coming into the defence. Shehzad Khan’s side lined up in a 4-4-2 formation.
East Bengal immediately took control of the contest, attacking from both flanks and keeping the CISF defence under constant pressure. Vishnu came close to scoring early when his acrobatic attempt struck the woodwork, while Jeakson fired narrowly wide.
CISF initially managed to frustrate the hosts with a compact defensive shape. Goalkeeper Raj Kumar Mahato also produced several important saves, including a double intervention that kept East Bengal at bay.
The resistance finally ended in the 38th minute. Edmund Lalrindika’s cutback reached Vishnu inside the box, and the winger produced a superb backheel finish to put East Bengal ahead.
The lead doubled just four minutes later when Vishnu’s low delivery took a deflection off Khalid before ending up in the back of the net via Mahato.
East Bengal then added a third in stoppage time. Daniel Ramírez showed excellent composure before setting up Jeakson Singh, who had the simple task of finishing into an empty goal.
The hosts continued their assault immediately after the interval. Just two minutes into the second half, Sandip Mandi’s cross found Vishnu, who produced a spectacular overhead kick to score his second.
East Bengal kept creating chances, with Mahato repeatedly called into action. The goalkeeper denied several attempts, while the woodwork also came to CISF’s rescue on occasions.
Bipin Singh eventually made it 5-0 in the 64th minute, finishing a quick counter-attack. Jesin then added East Bengal’s sixth six minutes later after running onto a perfectly weighted through ball and applying a composed finish.
The floodgates opened further in the closing stages. Jesin completed his brace before Vishnu secured his hat-trick, converting Bipin’s cross to complete an extraordinary 8-0 victory.
East Bengal continued pressing until the final whistle but could not add another goal. The victory gave the Kolkata giants their first three points of the tournament and revived their hopes of reaching the knockout stages, while CISF Protectors suffered their second consecutive defeat.
Debayan Bhattacharyya is a seasoned sports journalist and digital media professional, currently serving as the Chief Sub Editor at ITV Digital (NewsX). A true Football-Fanatic Bong, his professional journey began at Zee Media, where he kicked off his career as a Sub-Editor for the sports team at India.com and CricketCountry. His ability to blend insightful analysis with rapid-fire news delivery soon led him to Times Network, where he served as a Senior Copy Editor for Times Now. Before his current role at NewsX, Debayan spent a significant tenure at OneIndia’s MyKhel as a Senior Sub Editor.
