Relentless East Bengal Crush CISF Protectors 8-0 | Vishnu’s Stunning Five-Goal Masterclass | Durand Cup 2026
Kolkata, July 31: East Bengal FC displayed a relentless attacking performance against CISF Protectors, securing their highest-margin victory, 8–0, in the Durand Cup on Friday at Kishore Bharati Krirangan. Vishnu, throughout the ninety minutes, played with full attacking intent and contributed five goals, including a hat-trick. Though losing the match by a big margin, CISF Protectors goalkeeper Rajkumar Mahato left his mark on the pitch with several brilliant saves and prevented his side from conceding more.
Within the four minutes of the match, attempting to connect with Hardik Bhatt’s cross, Dani Ramirez hit the post. In the 18th minute, Vishnu’s scoop shot on target was saved by Rajkumar Mahato. Around the 30th minute, Vishnu’s cross from the right was fisted away by the CISF goalkeeper, but the rebound fell to Rashid. However, his second attempt was again saved by the keeper before a CISF defender cleared the ball away.
Though facing the Red and Gold attacking storm, CISF Protectors held on until the 37th minute but conceded their first goal then. Jesin TK cut the ball back for Edmund from the right inside the box. Edmund passed it to Vishnu, and this time, with no obstacles, Vishnu placed the ball into the net.
Within four minutes, two more goals came in. Another cross from Vishnu from the right side was attempted to be cleared by Mohammed Khalid, but it deflected off goalkeeper Rajkumar Mahato and went into the net, making it 2–0 for East Bengal FC. Then, in added time, Jeakson found the net searching for the the third goal.
And the show went on. In the first minute of the second half, with a stunning bicycle kick, Vishnu made it 4–0 for East Bengal FC. Substitute Bipin Singh, who came on for Dani Ramirez, joined his team’s rhythm by scoring the fifth goal in the 64th minute, meeting a grounded pass from the right.
After troubling the CISF goalkeeper from the start with several attempts, Jesin TK found the net in the 70th minute with a grounded shot from the right towards the second post. He did not stop there, as within three minutes, in a similar fashion, Jesin completed his brace to make it 7–0 for East Bengal FC.
However, at the start of the final quarter of the match, in the 76th minute, Vishnu completed his hat-trick and sealed East Bengal FC’s final score at 8–0. For the rest of the game, the attacking rhythm remained the same, but no more goals came.
In 1949, East Bengal FC defeated BB Star 10–0 in the Durand Cup, and after a long gap, the Kolkata giants recorded their second-highest Durand Cup victory with an 8–0 win over CISF Protectors tonight. The CISF side barely attempted three shots towards goal, spending most of the match defending. They suffered a heavy defeat, but their defence and goalkeeper delivered a commendable performance, as without them, the margin could have been even bigger than East Bengal FC’s previous record.
After two defeats, CISF Protectors’ hopes of reaching the knockout stage are all but over. Meanwhile, with one win from two matches and a superior goal difference, East Bengal FC remained firmly on the path to qualification.
Durand Cup 2026 – East Bengal FC vs CISF
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