Margao: Churchill Brothers may have witnessed familiar sights on their return to the top tier of Indian football, but East Bengal showed just how much the landscape has changed.Two of the last three clashes between Churchill and East Bengal had ended in draws; the other one was won by the Goan side, two time I-League champions. As they faced off again in the Indian Super League (ISL) for the first time, there was a stark contrast in fortunes as the Kolkata giants registered a 4-0 victory at the Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Sunday.East Bengal were fitter, sharper, and deserved to pick up all points in their opening match, thanks to goals from Dani Ramirez (‘2) and Edmund Lalrindika (’45) in the first half. After the change of ends, second-half substitute Bipin Singh (’85, ‘90) scored a late brace to leave Churchill reeling.The scoreboard, though, does not tell the entire story. Churchill, in fact, matched their opponents in the first 45 minutes, had chances to claw their way back, and conceded two goals in the last five minutes when shoulders and confidence had started to drop.The contribution of the foreign players for either side also reflected in the result. East Bengal coach Antonio Lopez Habas picked only three to start – leaving two on the bench — and Dani Ramirez made an instant impact with a stunning freekick inside just two minutes. Palestine midfielder Mohammed Rashid also had a big impact on the game.For Churchill, coach Dimitris Dimitriou replaced Nigerian striker John Okoli at half time and midfielder Dramane Salou around the hour mark. Only Wayde Lekay and Sebastian Gutierrez, who played together in 2024-25, posed some threat whenever they had the ball at their feet.East Bengal took a second-minute lead through Ramírez whose free-kick from just outside the box found the top corner, leaving no time and space for the keeper to even react.Churchill were dazed but soon regained composure. The pace of Vincy Barreto and Anil Gaonkar on the right caused some discomfort in the East Bengal camp. They created chances too with Okoli’s shot hitting the goalpost and Lekay sending his effort wide from close.Then, at a time when nobody expected, East Bengal struck again. It was created by David Hmar who picked out Edmund inside the box with an impressive pass, and the India striker did well to keep his cool and slot it past goalkeeper Sayad Kadir.The 45th minute goal appeared to deflate Churchill. When they returned for the second half, they didn’t have the same impact.At the other end, the introduction of Bipin Singh for Rohit Danu at half time changed the complexion of the match.The winger struck twice in the last five minutes. His first was a peach of an effort from outside the box, and then he finished with a simple tap after being fed on a platter by PV Vishnu, who had minutes earlier failed to score with his first touch, from very close.
