East Bengal FC faced a narrow 0-1 defeat against FK Arkadag in the first of the AFC Challenge League 2024-25 Quarter-final tie in Kolkata on Wednesday.

Arkadag's Gurbanov had drawn the first blood in the opening minutes, which was enough for the Turkmen side to snatch a narrow 1-0 victory. On the other hand, the Kolkata giants failed to pull off a goal in the first leg, and will face Arkadag in the reverse fixture with a one-goal deficit.

𝐅𝐓 | 🇮🇳 East Bengal 0️⃣-1️⃣ FC Arkadag 🇹🇲

The visitors snatch vital advantage ahead of the second-leg tie at home!#ChallengeLeague | #KEBvARK pic.twitter.com/Mlp1ugkhM6

— #ChallengeLeague (@TheAFCGL) March 5, 2025

Early strike from the visitors

East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon named five foreigners in the starting line-up for the clash against Arkadag. The Turkmen champions, in fact, have no foreign players in their squad and fielded an entirely Turkmen eleven.

Although East Bengal started things in a slow composure, Richard Celis and Rafael Messi Bouli combined up in the front to create some threat, but the team faced an early setback in the 10th minute of the game.

Yazgylych Gurbanov anticipated the ball in a sudden revival by Durdiyev Didar from the midfield, as the Arkadag midfielder slotted the ball home through the left-bottom corner with a precise grounded strike.

pic.twitter.com/JqOX249RPl

— 【S】 (@maybesagnikk) March 5, 2025

Persistent efforts from East Bengal afterwards

East Bengal quickly tried to buckle up and managed some scoring opportunities in the upcoming minutes. However, despite multiple entries in the final third, East Bengal failed to open the account against a robust Arkadag defence. 

Lalchungnunga delivered a vicious cross from the left in the 21st minute of the game, which was punched away by Arkadag keeper Charyyev Rasul, denying East Bengal attackers in the final third. East Bengal received two back-to-back opportunities from corners in the 40th minute, but the set-pieces went wasted.

Meanwhile, Gurbanov had a chance to extend the lead in the 45th minute of the game, but Gill stayed alert to deny a swift header.

Messi Bouli had an opportunity in the added minutes, but failed to convert it, as the opening half ended with East Bengal trailing 0-1.

East Bengal continued to find the breakthrough in the second half

Bruzon’s team tried to capitalize on space in the second half, with Saul Crespo and Naorem Mahesh Singh in midfield, and Raphael Messi Bouli accompanying Dimitrios Diamantakos up front. Unfortunately, the lack of precision in the final third led to the heartbreaking defeat against Arkadag.

Saul Crespo had two chances to equalize in the 71st minute, but his first shot was blocked, and the second missed the target as the East Bengal skipper was almost down to the ground. PV Vishnu, who has been impactful this season, replaced Celis and had a chance to score but soared the ball over the crosspiece in the 75th minute.

Despite Bruzon's efforts in bringing on Silva and Nishu Kumar, the FC Arkadag defenders effectively limited East Bengal's scoring opportunities. The final chance came again for Crespo, set up by Vishnu’s cutback, but FC Arkadag goalkeeper Charyyev Rasul reacted quickly to deny him.

Arkadag will host East Bengal in the Nusay Stadium in Ashgabat on March 12th for the return leg to seal the passage for the semi-finals of the inaugural AFC Challenge League 2024-25.

Brief Scores

FT | We'll come back stronger in the second leg. ✊#ChallengeLeague #EBFCInAsia pic.twitter.com/zIVwNtMSwu

— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) March 5, 2025

East Bengal FC: Prabhsukhan Singh Gill (GK); Mohammad Rakip (Nishu Kumar), Lalchungnunga, Hector Yuste; Souvik Chakrabarti, Saul Crespo, Jeakson Singh, Naorem Mahesh, Richard Celis (PV Vishnu), Dimitrios Diamantakos (Cleiton Silva), Rafael Messi Bouli

FC Arkadag: Charyyev Rasul, Guychmyrat Annagulyyev, Mekan Saparov, Basimov Abdy, Mammedov Ybrayym, Yazgylych Gurbanov (Enver Annayev), Mirza Beknazarov (Shamammet Hydyrow), Hojayav Resul (Ahmet Atayev), Begench Akmamedov (Velmyrat Ballakov), Durdiyev Didar, Tirkishov Shanazar.

Full-time score | East Bengal FC 0-1 FK Arkadag (Gurbanov 10')

Hello and welcome to another live blog of Sportz Point.

Tonight, we have the Durand Cup semi-final between Diamond Harbour FC and Emami East Bengal FC at the iconic Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata.

Diamond Harbour FC are coming from a great win against Jamshedpur FC away from home in the quarterfinal. Meanwhile, East Bengal have done an outstanding job by beating Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the quarter-final in a nail-biter Kolkata derby.

So, we have another Kolkata derby in our hands. This is Barnali Debnath, who will bring you all the updates of the match from the web desk. Stay tuned and enjoy the coverage.

East Bengal is one of Asia's biggest and most supported football clubs. In October 2020, the club was voted as the most popular football club in India on an AFC poll by its supporters.

The East Bengal Club was established on 1st August 1920 by Suresh Chandra Chaudhury along with some other dignitaries, and the club's first captain was Ramesh Chandra Sen.

The Kolkata-based club has created a lot of records and won so many trophies. The Football club was going through a tough phase as they hadn't won a major trophy since the 2013-14 season.

But, under the new Manager and coaching staff, the Red & Gold Brigade are playing good football. So, let's look at the trophies East Bengal has won in its footballing history.

East Bengal FC Trophies List

East Bengal played their first match in the 1920 Hercules Cup, which was a 7-a-side tournament that they won. They won their first-ever full tournament in 1921 and lifted the Khogendra Shield.

The Red and Gold brigade qualified for the Calcutta Football League 1st division in 1925. They won their first 1st title in 1942. Then the Kolkata-based club lifted their first IFA Shield in 1943. In 1945, East Bengal won their first double, claiming both the Calcutta Football League and the IFA Shield.

From 1949-51, East Bengal became the first team to make a hat-trick of wins in the IFA Shield. In 1972, East Bengal won the Calcutta Football League, IFA Shield, Durand Cup, and Rovers Cup in a single season, becoming the first team to do so.

In 1972, East Bengal also made a record of being the first and till date, only Indian team to win the Calcutta Football League without conceding a single goal, which they again repeated in 1991.

East Bengal won its first First Division league title in 1942 and has since won it a record 39 times. They have also won eight Federation Cups, three Super Cups, a record 29 IFA Shields, the Kuladakanta Shield, and MLA CUP, alongside 16 Durand Cup titles, making the club one of the most decorated in Indian football.

The All India Football Federation (AIFF) celebrated the best of Indian football at the AIFF Awards 2025, held today in Bhubaneswar, honouring outstanding players, coaches, referees, and member associations for their contributions during the 2024-25 season.

The ceremony highlighted the growing competitiveness of Indian football, with Mohun Bagan SG’s Subhasish Bose and East Bengal FC’s Soumya Guguloth crowned Men’s and Women’s Player of the Year, respectively. 

AIFF Awards 2025 Winners

Individual Awards

• Men's Player of the Year: Subhasish Bose (Mohun Bagan SG, Defender)
  • Recognised for his leadership as captain and stellar performances for Mohun Bagan SG as the mariners became the first team to defend the ISL Shield, along with reclaiming the ISL Cup. Bose kept 13 clean sheets as a defender and scored 6 goals as well. 
• Women's Player of the Year: Soumya Guguloth (East Bengal FC, Forward)
  • Honoured as the top Indian scorer in the Indian Women’s League (IWL) and a key player for the Blue Tigresses. She helped East Bengal FC win the IWL 2024-25 title.
• Men's Goalkeeper of the Year: Vishal Kaith (Mohun Bagan SG)
  • Awarded for holding the record for the most clean sheets in Indian Super League (ISL) history. Kaith had a record 15 clean sheets in ISL 2024-25 and conceded only 19 goals across 26 appearances
• Most Promising Men's Player of the Year: Brison Fernandes (Midfielder)
  • Noted for his midfield mastery and potential as a rising star.
• Most Promising Women's Player of the Year: Neha (Haryana, Winger)
  • Recognised for her performances, including 2 goals in the SAFF U19 Women’s Championship and 3 goals in the Senior Women’s National Championship.
• Men's Coach of the Year: Khalid Jamil (Jamshedpur FC)
  • Won for the second consecutive year for leading Jamshedpur FC to the Kalinga Super Cup semifinals.
• Women's Coach of the Year: Sujata Kar (Sreebhumi FC)
  • Awarded for guiding newly-promoted Sreebhumi FC to a third-place finish in the IWL.
• Male Referee of the Year: Venkatesh R
  • Acknowledged for consistent officiating on the pitch.
• Female Referee of the Year: Tekcham Ranjita Devi
  • Recognised for her officiating excellence.
• Male Referee of the Year: Venkatesh R
• Male Assistant Referee of the Year: Vairamuthu P

Member Association (MA) Awards

• Most Successful MA (Club Competitions): Indian Football Association (West Bengal)
  • For dominance in men’s competitions, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal winning major titles.
• Most Successful MA (NFC Competitions): All Manipur Football Association
  • Recognised for success in the National Football Championships.
• Best MA for Supporting Women’s Football: Punjab Football Association
  • Honoured for contributions to women’s football development.
• Best MA for Hosting Most AIFF Competitions: Football Association of Odisha and Goa Football Association
  • For hosting numerous AIFF events.
• MA with Most Player Registrations (Men’s): Kerala Football Association
  • For the highest number of male player registrations.
• MA with Most Player Registrations (Women’s): Western India Football Association (Maharashtra)
  • For leading in female player registrations.
• Special Award for MA Launching New Projects: Gujarat State Football Association
  • For innovative football initiatives.
• MA with Most Grassroots Activities: Gujarat State Football Association
  • For extensive grassroots programs.
• MA with Most Youth Tournaments Conducted: Karnataka State Football Association
  • For organising numerous youth tournaments.
• MA with Most Coaching Courses: Punjab Football Association
  • For conducting the most coaching courses.
• MA with Most Refereeing Courses: Gujarat State Football Association
  • For leading in referee training programs.

Kerala Blasters FC started their Kalinga Super Cup 2025 on a high note by knocking out defending champions East Bengal by 2-0 in Bhubaneshwar on Sunday. Noah Sadaoui and Jesús Jiménez scored the goals for the Kerala Blasters as they outplayed the Kolkata side. 

With this defeat, East Bengal FC's season ended on a sad note after an overwhelming finish in the Indian Super League 2024-25. 

Kerala Blasters march on! 💥⚽

A dominant 2-0 win over East Bengal seals their spot in the Super 8. Next stop: a high-voltage clash against Mohun Bagan!#KBFC #BlastersOnTheRise #Super8Bound #keralablasters #SuperCup #mohunbagan #EastBengal #Indianfootball #Footballindia pic.twitter.com/ISfwWWWKly

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) April 20, 2025

Jesús Jiménez opened the scoring for Kerala as he found the back of the net from a penalty in the 40th minute of the match. In the second half, Noah Sadaoui extended the lead for the Manjapadas in the 64th minute to hand them an easy win. 

Blasters looked threatening from the word go as Jesus nearly scored from Noah's delivery in the second minute of the game. They kept on applying the pressure, but could not find the end result despite a few chances created by Noah. 

Noah Sadaoui's banger from outside the box in Kerala Blasters vs East Bengal FC match in Kalinga Super Cup 2025. pic.twitter.com/uWjrbpLMDZ

— Sportz Point (@sportz_point) April 20, 2025

But it wasn't until the 40th minute that Jesus Jimenez stepped up to take the penalty after Gill made a foul inside the box. 

In the 64th minute, Noah scored a screamer of a goal to extend the lead, which was eventually good enough for them to qualify for the quarter-finals. 

Kerala Blasters will now face Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the quarter-final on 26th April. For those who do not know, Mohun Bagan SG will play from the quarter-final directly after they received a bye in the round of 16. 

"Today, the team showed me that they still have something inside, and they wanted to compete and do their best. I’m proud of them cuz the work they’ve done is amazing. We’ll have to see about Luna. He felt that it wasn’t good and asked for a change. We’ll see," Balsters' coach David Catala said after the win. 

East Bengal FC cemented their status as IWL 2024-25 champions with a commanding 3-0 victory over Gokulam Kerala FC at the East Bengal ground on Friday.

Already assured of the title before kickoff, the Red and Golds showcased their supremacy by defeating every team in the league en route to the championship, with all three goals coming in an explosive first half.

Read Also | Exclusive Shreya Hooda: Best Goalkeeper in IWL & NFC, National team and the World Cup dream

The star of the show was Elshaddai Acheampong, who opened the scoring in the 27th minute. After missing earlier chances, including a header from five yards in the 19th minute, the Ghanaian forward made amends with a clinical finish, chipping the goalkeeper after a deft move past defenders following a pass from Anju Tamang.

Read Also | 10 Best Women's Football Players and Leagues You Must Watch in 2025

Her poacher’s instinct shone again in the 37th minute, tapping in a cross from Karthika Angamuthu at the back post to double the lead. Minutes before halftime, Soumya Guguloth sealed the rout in the 42nd minute, rounding the keeper to score after a perfectly timed through ball.

Read Also | Beatrice Chebet becomes the first woman to run 5km under 14 minutes in Barcelona

Despite the title already in hand, East Bengal displayed remarkable professionalism, dominating possession and stifling Gokulam from the outset. The second half saw Gokulam mount a brief challenge, testing goalkeeper Panthoi Chanu with a long-range effort, but the champions held firm. This win marked the only team East Bengal had yet to beat this season, completing a flawless campaign.

The victory underscored East Bengal’s dominance throughout the season, blending skill, composure, and relentless attacking play.

For Gokulam, the defeat highlighted their struggle against the league’s top side, as East Bengal celebrated a perfect end to their triumphant IWL 2024-25 journey.