Kolkata, July 18: East Bengal FC made it three wins from three matches in the Calcutta Football League 2026, but unlike their commanding victories in the opening two rounds, Saturday’s match at the East Bengal Ground demanded patience more than attacking flair, and ended up in controversy. After recording big margins scorelines previously, the Red & Gold Brigade had to settle for a narrow 1-0 victory in a contest that rarely found its rhythm, on Saturday afternoon.
The breakthrough arrived four minutes after the restart of the second half. During an attack, Uttam Hansda entered the penalty box, following Bijoy Murmu’s cross, where Railway FC player Sayan Das closed him down. As Uttam went to the ground, the referee awarded East Bengal a penalty, a decision that seemed too harsh and needed a rethink, as there appeared a slight touch or debatable as to there was no contact. However, the decision stood, and Jesin TK converted from the penalty spot in the 49th minute, handing East Bengal the lead that ultimately proved enough to separate the two sides.
After the lead East Bengal FC increased their attacking pressure, where Jesin TK missed out several chances and they looked to double their advantage in the 75th minute when Alash Hemram earned a dangerous free-kick just outside the corner of the penalty area. Jesin once again stood over the dead ball, but this time the opportunity again wasted out.
The closing moments remained tense. Deep into stoppage time at 90+2nd minute, a foul by Joseph Justin in midfield handed the opposition one final opportunity from a free-kick. The delivery from Deep Samanta into the box tested East Bengal’s defence, but the keeper Gaurab stayed composed to preserve the slender advantage and ensure the final whistle arrived with another clean sheet intact.
The penalty decision remained the biggest talking point after the final whistle. Railway FC’s head coach questioned the referee’s call, believing there was no contact on Uttam Hansda inside the box and that the spot-kick changed the result of the match.
Despite the controversy, East Bengal secured all three points and kept another clean sheet. New signing Jay Baz once again impressed with a solid performance and was named Player of the Match for the second time in three games, helping the Red & Gold Brigade continue their perfect start to the CFL 2026 campaign.
The penalty that sealed the result, Railway FC questioned it!
CFL 2026 – Railway FC vs East Bengal FC highlights
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