East Bengal 1-0 Namdhari FC Player Ratings : Hamid Ahdad Turns Super-Sub as East Bengal Edge Past Namdhari FC

After a dominating victory against South United FC in the Durand Cup opener, East Bengal face off against the I-League side that has been in a blazing hot form - Namdhari FC for a crucial encounter which could potentially determine the playoff qualification for either side. East Bengal FC vs Namdhari FC took place at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharathi Krirangan on the 8th August 2025 at 7:00 pm, and after a thrilling display of action, East Bengal emerged victorious.

East Bengal got the match underway, and they were piling up pressure on Namdhari FC with their attacking initiatives, from the likes of Mahesh, Bipin, and the debutant Miguel. Miguel and Rashid dominated the midfield, and they even took some shots at the goal. Miguel kept knocking on the doors of Namdhari, and almost every time, he was able to break through. But every time, in the very end, the goalpost stood as an obstacle and kept him away from scoring. Niraj Kumar, the Namdhari keeper, was exceptional and made some stunning saves to keep the deadlock alive and at half-time the score remained nil-nil.

In the second half, Niraj, who was so exceptional, made a goalkeeping blunder and Hamid Ahdad, the substitute, broke the deadlock with a header off a corner, scoring in his very first involvement for East Bengal. Later, the game was concentrated in the midfield and at full time the score was 1-0 in favour of East Bengal which almost secures their spot in the next round of the tournament.

Here are the East Bengal vs Namdhari FC Player Ratings

East Bengal Player Ratings

Here are the East Bengal Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Prabhsukhan Gill - 6/10

Came out of his line and cleared the ball during multiple instances early into the game. Later, in the game, he was not put to real test by the opponents apart from some routine catches and clearances.

Defenders

Lalchungnunga - 6/10

The full back ventured into the final third and contributed to the attack by providing some decent crosses. Attempted some shots, but most of them were feeble and did not challenge the keeper.

Anwar Ali - 6/10

Anwar did not have much to do in the defence as the opponents attacked very rarely. Was the source of the slow and calm build-ups made by the Red and Gold. Had a tidy game and did not make any errors whenever the ball came towards him.

Martand Raina - 6/10

Martand was relieved from his defensive work for a large part of the match since the opponents were unable to attack and put pressure on the backline. The game was so one-sided that the player had just a couple of touches in the entire match.

Mohamad Rakip - 6/10

Moving higher up the pitch, displayed his acrobatics and made a pretty significant contribution towards the attack. Barely had anything to do in the defensive role.

Midfielders

Saul Crespo - 6.5/10

Crespo demonstrated his flair with his moves on the left flank, providing support to Bipin Singh and even moving into the attacking third to test his chance at goal. Came very close to scoring, but the keeper stood strong and denied his efforts.

Mohamad Basim Rashid - 7/10

Rashid, yet again, exercised his domination in the midfield. Was physical and dispossessed the opponents in the middle third. Was very agile and broke up the Namdhari attacks. Delivered some quality long balls and through passes into the attacking third, creating trouble for the opponents.

Miguel Damasceno - 7/10

Miguel had tons of space in the midfield, and he played the ball brilliantly, adding quality in the East Bengal midfield. Took some shots at goal, but almost every time the bar stood as an obstacle. Even though he was solid with his performance, luck was not on his side. Provided assist for the opener and soon after was subbed off.

Forward

Bipin Singh - 6/10

Accelerated with the ball, made some twists and turns and tried to put pressure upon the opponents, but everything looked fine until it came to the final third and finishing, where Bipin struggled. The player was visibly seen disappointed with himself.

Dimitrios Diamantakos - 5/10

Dimitrios was present in the final third during the attacks of East Bengal, but somewhere in the line, it felt like he did not anticipate the ball, and for that reason, his contributions remained minimal and was subbed off early in the second half.

Mahesh Singh Naorem - 6.5/10

Mahesh linked up with almost all the players and had a good performance with heavy involvement in the game. Took a solid free kick which almost opened the account for the ISL side. Later, he attempted some shots, but most of them were either overhit or underhit.

Substitutes

Hamid Ahadad - 7.5/10

The Moroccan came to rescue for the home side as a super-sub. Came in as a replacement for Diamantakos and scored in his very first involvement for the club, giving them the lead.

Edmund - 6/10

Sibille - NA

Souvik - NA

Manager

Oscar Bruzon - 6.5/10

The manager would be disappointed with the performance of his team today. Won with just a thin margin of one goal and he would have expected his team to do better. He was top notch with his substitutions, and one such substitution found the winning goal. Must focus on the next game, where a point would take his team to the next round of the tournament.

Namdhari FC Player Ratings

Here are the Namdhari FC Player Ratings

Goalkeeper

Niraj Kumar - 6.5/10

Niraj Kumar was on the money whenever he was called for rescue. Made stunning saves at point-blank whenever the opponents took shots on target. In the second half, he made a big blunder and which was punished by the opponents.

Defenders

Gurshan Singh - 5.5/10

Was pretty decent and came in head to head with Mahesh, where he managed to win a good amount of duels and win back the ball for his team.

Lamine Moro- 6/10

Was alert and made some good clearances when East Bengal made some attacks initially from the likes of Mahesh. Stood tall during set pieces and headed away all the potintial danger attempts.

Akashdeep Singh - 5.5/10

Made some well-read defending in the early East Bengal attacks. Was booked by the referee ahead of the break for a rash foul.

Kamalpreet Singh - 5.5/10

Kept his eyes on the ball and defended well in the flanks. Had a great role in keeping Bipin silent throughout the match.

Midfielders

Jaskaranpreet Singh - 5/10

Jaskaranpreet made a few interceptions and won the ball from the opponents. But apart from that, he was pretty average and was impactless and for that reason was subbed off just after the break.

Amandeep Singh - 4/10

Amandeep was quite decent and was barely involved in the game, and surprisingly, the player was subbed off in the 26th minute for the minimal contributions.

Nimratpal Singh - 5/10

Stood very compact in the midfield and did not leave much space, forcing East Bengal to play the ball from the wings. Put in a lot of work and kept East Bengal silent for a long time.

Bhupinder Singh - 5/10

Was decent in the match. Neither exceptional nor terrible. Did not commint any blunders and played well whenever the ball was in play with the player.

Forward

Manish Chaudhary - 4/10

Manish barely did anything to strengthen the attacks for Namdhari and was not seen supporting Cledson whenever he made the rare attacks.

Cledson Carvalho Dasilva - 5/10

The Brazilian striker was promising in the early minutes of the game, but later, as the game progressed, he was a lonely figure in the attacking third. Had excellent work rate but the lack of goals meant that the player was not celebrated in the match.

Substitutes

Dharmpreet Singh - /10

Seilenthang Lotjem - /10

Sehnaj Singh - NA

Manager

Harpreet Singh - 6/10

The gaffer, though on the losing side, would have a lot of positives from the match against a star-studded ISL side. Could keep his head held high as his team just conceded only one goal and was exceptional in the defensive part. Must focus on the offensive unit if the team progresses towards the next round.

Sportsdunia's Player of the Match is Hamid Ahadad