A 10-man Namdhari FC rallied to beat Indian Air Force 4-2 in a high-scoring Durand Cup fixture at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Sunday.
Namdhari topped Group A with six points from two wins. Samuel pounced on a loose ball inside the box to put IAF ahead early.
Namdhari waited for around half an hour before Cledson Dasilva converted a penalty to equalise. Amandeep Singh secured the lead for Namdhari just before half-time. Then, Dharmpreet Singh made it 3-1 at the hour mark.
Namdhari suffered a setback as Manbir Singh was sent off in the 73rd minute for a reckless challenge. However, substitute Seilenthang Lotjem bulged the lead to 4-1 in the next minute.
Sankit’s 78th-minute goal proved only a consolation for IAF.
At the Sports Authority of India Stadium in Kokrajhar, Punjab FC fought back to beat Karbi Anglong Morning Star 2-1 in a Group-D match to begin its campaign with a win.
Joseph’s spectacular goal put Karbi in the lead in the 69th minute. PFC bounced back through goals from Paramveer (73) and Sanathoi (90+3).
The results: Group A (Kolkata): Namdhari FC 4 (Cledson 37-p, Amandeep 45, Dharmpreet 60, Lotjem 74) bt Indian Air Force 2 (Samuel 7, Sankit 78).
Group D (Kokrajhar): Punjab FC 2 (Paramveer 73, Sanathoi 90+3) bt Karbi Anglong Morning Star 1 (Joseph 69).