East Bengal (EB) and the Indian Navy drew 0-0 in their Durand Cup opener on Monday at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in this city.

The Red & Gold dominated the match, especially in the second half, earning Harikrishna A.U. the title of Man of the Match.

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First half was tense due to EB coach Stephen Constantine’s decision to play an all-Indian playing eleven and a four-man midfield. When Naorem Mahesh Singh had an injury and had to be replaced by Tuhin Das, his initial plans probably went awry.

The lone noteworthy opportunity in the first half most likely came from EB’s V.P. Suhair, who broke through inside the box and passed it outside to Tuhin. Tuhin’s cross back-in found Amarjit Kiyam in space, but the midfielder was unable to get the direction right.

In the second half, EB started strong. Coach Constantine made this intention plain by replacing Aniket Jadhav at halftime with Brazilian Alex Lima.

The opening chance of the half was made by the team’s captain on that particular day, Sumit Passi, whose magnificent piledriver from at least 30 yards out beat Navy goalkeeper Vishnu and thundered off the right upright before rebounding.

As the first goal continued to elude them, Constantine kept making substitutions, replacing Angousana and Amarjit Kiyam with midfielder Souvik Chakrabarti and striker Mahitosh Roy to inject new life into the assault.

Suhair, who had an outstanding second half from the right wing, found Sumit Passi running in the box with a stunning defense-splitting cross just before the break, but the striker fired straight at the goalkeeper. Lima was nearby to seize the opportunity presented by the rebound, but his hasty punch was way off target.

Eventually playing well, Tuhin produced a fantastic cross from the left in the 82nd minute. The ball crossed the goalkeeper and yelled for Suhair to connect, but Suhair’s slide missed the opportunity.

With three minutes remaining in regulation, Tuhin sent in another excellent cross, but Passi’s header necessitated an outstanding flying stop from Vishnu. Lima was there for the rebound once more, but he was unable to score from close range.

(Inputs from IANS)