Kolkata, July 2: Diamond Harbour FC kicked off their Calcutta Football League 2025 campaign with a 0-0 draw against debutants Sribhumi FC at the Bidhannagar MSC Ground on Wednesday. Under head coach Dipankar Sharma, Diamond Harbour fielded a youth-dominated team along with a few experienced players. With a clear focus on youth development for this campaign, and for the title, last year’s senior team head coach Kibu Vicuna will serve as the technical director.
The match started with attacking intensity, as both teams looked strong and didn’t leave an inch for each other. Probably one of the effective attack of the first half, In the 28th minute, from Supriyo Pandit’s cross from the right, Benjamin Lalnunpuia created a promising chance for Diamond Harbour FC inside the box but ended up with a shot that the Sribhumi FC goalkeeper saved.
Within the sixth minute, Diamond Harbour FC launched another quick attack. From the left, Supriyo Pandit delivered a cross inside the box for Benjamin Lalnunpuia, but he couldn’t make proper contact, missing the opportunity to break the deadlock.
In the second half, Sribhumi FC started with attacking intent, but Diamond Harbour FC’s defense was strong enough not to concede. As time went on, the match seemed to slow down, turning into a physical contest with several tackles and challenges. By the end of the ninety minutes, both teams failed to break the deadlock. Sribhumi FC played out a 2-2 draw in their first match and ended their second with a goalless draw. On the other hand, Diamond Harbour FC have started their campaign but are yet to find the back of the net.
From Chanmari FC, Diamond Harbour FC brought in Dipankar Sharma as the head coach for the CFL 2025 campaign. After the match, the head coach said, “What we want the results didn’t become exactly that, the ground conditions is not good, with many positively there is something what we need to improve, we want to maintain the positivity and need work out about the improvements.
This is Sribhumi FC’s first season in the Premier Division of the CFL, while Diamond Harbour FC have been playing for the last three seasons. After the match, assistant coach Abhisekh Das said, “What standard Diamond Harbour FC has been set for last few years with that this result is not matching but still this is our first match we started with young many players.”
For debutants Sribhumi FC, it was another step in building their presence in the Premier Division, while Diamond Harbour FC, under a new head coach, will aim to convert intent into results as the CFL 2025 campaign progresses.
In the other matches of the Calcutta Football League today, Bhawanipore FC secured a dominant 5-0 win over Khidderpore SC. United Kolkata won 1-0 against United Sports Club. Southern Samity lost 1-0 to Wari Athletic Club, while ASOS Rainbow secured a 4-0 victory over Aryan Club.
Diamond Harbour FC vs Sribhumi FC Highlights
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