Durand Cup 2023: East Bengal seals quarterfinal spot with win against Punjab FC; Goa beats Downtown Heroes

New signing Javier Siverio proved to be the match-winner after he headed in a corner in the first half to put his side in control of the game.

Javier Siverio (left) scored the decisive strike for the red-and-gold brigade against Punjab FC to secure the quarterfinal spot | Photo Credit: Durand Cup media

Emami East Bengal secured its position on top of Group A as it beat Punjab FC by a solitary goal in the 132nd Durand Cup, at the Kishore Bharati Stadium here on Wednesday.

Spanish striker Javier Siverio found the all-important goal midway through the opening half to secure the full quota of points for East Bengal, which tallied seven points from three matches to ensure the top spot, nudging out traditional rival Mohun Bagan, which finished on six points.

With the tournament regulations stipulating automatic quarterfinal qualification for the group toppers, Mohun Bagan will now have to wait for the final standings in other groups before fancying its chance of reaching the quarterfinals as one of the two best second-placed teams. 

East Bengal continued with the momentum it gained after beating Indian Super League champion Mohun Bagan in the previous match and came up with a disciplined performance to outshine the I-League winner Punjab FC to pick up its second consecutive win.

In another match played earlier in the day, FC Goa beat Downtown Heroes 3-0 in a Group D match at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, Guwahati. Muhammed Nemil and Carlos Martinez came with a goal each in the first half before Devendra Murgaokar completed the scoring in the injury time of the second half.

The results:

Group A (Kolkata): Emami East Bengal 1 (Javier Siverio 22) bt Punjab FC 0.

Group D (Guwahati): FC Goa 3 (Muhammed Nemil 19, Carlos Martinez 38, Devendra Murgaokar 90+7) bt Downtown Heroes FC 0.