East Bengal Juniors beat Delhi XI in friendly

A strengthened Under-19 team of Kolkata giants East Bengal Club beat a Delhi XI 1-0 in a friendly at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi as part of Delhi’s Vinay Nagar Bengali Senior Secondary Schools diamond jubilee celebration. Many in the capital had expected East Bengal to field their I-League team, if not the full squad then at least some of their stars but the red-and-gold send their Under-19 team which was strengthened by some youngsters from the senior squad in Saikat Saha Roy and Seiminlen Doungel. Former club captain and Indian international Tarun Dey was the coach.

The Vinay Nagar Bengali Senior Secondary School organised the exhibition match in association with the Ministry of Sports and Youth Affairs, the Sports Authority of India, the All India Football Federation and the Delhi Soccer Association.

The story of the match is easily told, then the more experienced Delhi XI side was the better team on display against the East Bengal Juniors. But it was Seiminlen Doungel, who scored the winner in the 82nd minute to the delight of the red-and-gold fans who had come in numbers to support their club on the night.