Diamantakos scores on debut as East Bengal begin Durand campaign with 3-1 win

KOLKATA: Dimitrios Diamantakos scored on his debut in East Bengal FC jersey as Carles Cuadrat's team began their Durand Cup campaign with a 3-1 win over Indian Air Force FT at the Salt Lake Stadium on Monday.
East Bengal - who dominated the proceedings throughout the match and could have won the game with a bigger margin - found themselves trailing early on against the run of play, Somananda Singh giving the IAF side a surprise lead in the 19th minute, heading home Saurav Sadhukhan's cross.
After missing a plethora of chances, David Lalhlansanga - who won the Golden Boot in the last edition of Durand Cup while playing for Mohammedan Sporting - eventually restored parity for East Bengal two minutes from the break. Having controlled Madih Talal's delightful chip while beating an offside trap, David saw goalkeeper Subhajit Basu come out of line and coolly lobbed the ball over him.
Cuadrat introduced Diamantakos and PV Vishnu in the second half and the Greek forward rose to the occasion in the 61st minute to make his debut special, meeting Mark Zo's cross from left and beating the goalkeeper in the air with a perfect header.
Six minutes later, Saul Crespo sealed the deal. A link-up play with Diamantakos allowed Crespo to receive the ball on the edge of the box. With a half-turn the Spaniard left his challenger Arashpreet Singh searching for an answer and then beat the goalkeeper with a low shot which hit the inside of the post before going in.
Both Mohun Bagan SG and East Bengal have started their campaign on a winning note but Cuadrat's side is leading Group A because of a better goal difference.
Six group winners and two second-best teams would progress to the quarterfinals.