Kolkata, Aug. 6 -- East Bengal FC moved a step closer to securing a knockout berth at the 134th Durand Cup with a narrow 1-0 win over a resilient Namdhari FC in a tightly contested Group A encounter, here at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Wednesday.

Moroccan forward Hamid Ahadad, making his debut for the Red and Gold Brigade, came off the bench to score the decisive goal in the 68th minute, handing East Bengal their second consecutive win of the tournament, as per a press release.

East Bengal Head Coach Oscar Bruzon made four changes to his lineup from their previous match, handing starts to goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Brazilian midfielder Miguel Figueira, and Greek striker Dimitrios Diamantakos and Bipin Singh up fron...