East Bengal FC kicked off their ISL 2025-26 campaign with a resounding 3-0 demolition of NorthEast United FC in Kolkata. The match at Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan showcased Yusuf Azzazari’s star quality, as the Spaniard netted twice in a devastating six-minute spell. Miguel Ferreira’s injury-time goal rounded off a perfect performance.
Tactical tweaks defined East Bengal’s approach: Oscar Bruzon slotted Jackson Singh next to Anwar Ali centrally, repositioned Lalchungnunga at right-back, and started Jay Gupta on the left. Juan Pedro Benali’s NorthEast unleashed Parthib Gogoi up top, with Jithin MS and Jairo Semperio providing dynamism.
From the outset, East Bengal’s high-intensity press suffocated NorthEast, creating midfield turnovers and wing overloads for Bipin Singh and Nanda Kumar. The Highlanders’ attempts to breach via pace faltered without midfield creativity.
First-half highlights included a near own goal by Miguel Zabaco, Rashid’s crossbar strike, and Gurmeet’s rebound save on Ferreira. The score remained level at the break despite East Bengal’s superiority.
NorthEast briefly threatened post-restart with Jithin’s incursions, but Ferreira’s shot forced a fingertip save. The game tilted irreversibly in the 65th minute when Jackson linked with Bipin for Azzazari’s towering header – his first in the league.
Just five minutes on, Edmund Lalrinfika’s lofted ball ricocheted off Zabaco to Azzazari, who coolly dinked over Gurmeet. Deep into stoppage time, Gupta’s defense-splitting pass allowed Ferreira to dance past the keeper and rifle into the net, securing three points and signaling East Bengal’s title ambitions.