Durand semis: East Bengal look to clear DHFC hurdle

Time of India

12 hours ago

Kolkata: In this season of more fractious and perplexing moments in Indian football, East Bengal FC and Diamond Harbour FC embody a unique contest in the Durand Cup semifinals here on Wednesday.
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East Bengal have earned their place in the final four by ending Mohun Bagan SG's long reign in the derby duels and an 18-match unbeaten run at home. If days of being judged inferior to the arch-rivals have been settled, Oscar Bruzon is now ready to call it "the end of suffering" for his 'new' East Bengal.
Diamond Harbour FC (DHFC) — a new kid on the block — are also showing that they are here to stay. In fact, the team under Kibu Vicuna has already achieved an unprecedented high that even Mohun Bagan and East Bengal couldn't reach — securing a semifinal berth in their Durand Cup debut.
This, certainly, is the brave new world for the newbies. And this is precisely what's stopping Bruzon from taking the suggestion for granted that this contest is a mere step in his team's coronation as the Durand Cup champions.
"When you get a good result, there is a big risk of drop (in performance) in the next game. So, there is work to do and we are not complacent. We need to be cool and calculative. Of course, support will be on our side.
But it's going to be a tricky match against Diamond Harbour and we can't say (we are) favourites," Bruzon told reporters on Tuesday before taking his players to the training ground away from the media glare.
There is another possible hurdle the East Bengal coach would like to cross with ease. Unlike Mohun Bagan, DHFC would come to enter the field as an unknown enemy.
"We plan and prepare for every game trying to get the maximum details and analyze the opponents so that when our players come onto the pitch, they are aware of the idea of the game and which are the areas we need to control to beat them.
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Our coaches have watched them play in the Kolkata league and we are getting information from them as well," Bruzon pointed out.
Moroccan striker Hamid Ahadad — who was forced to leave the field against Mohun Bagan after suffering a muscle pull — turned up at the NCE ground in New Town later in the day but didn't train.
DHFC may be a newcomer, in Vicuna they have a shrewd coach with ample experience in Indian football.
Vicuna, who guided Bagan to their second I-League title in 2019-20, described his new team's progress to the semifinals in Asia's oldest cup football tournament as "thoroughly deserving".
Aware that East Bengal have transformed significantly under Bruzon, Vicuna insisted that the Beautiful Game is littered with stories where the best teams do not necessarily end up having the last laugh. He then recalled his time in Poland as an assistant coach at Lech Poznan in 2015-2016 and how the team had orchestrated an upset in the Europa League.
"We are a good team. If we were not, we wouldn't be sitting here talking with you all," Vicuna told reporters on Tuesday.
"I remember the European Cup match when I was working in Poznan. Fiorentina were in the first position in Italy and we were last in the Polish league. And we ended up winning 2-1 in Fiorentina. In a football game, two teams are playing, not only one," Vicuna said, sending a warning to East Bengal.
The onus is more on East Bengal as, post the derby win, Bruzon's side now faces the task of proving that this group is not only on a journey of self-improvement but is equally capable of reaching its destination and delivering on its promise.