East Bengal edge out ONGC 1-0

KOLKATA - Federation Cup Champions East Bengal rode on a late strike by their prolific scorer Olgay Ozbey to get past debutants ONGC 1-0 in their maiden I-League encounter here Saturday.

Playing at the Salt Lake Stadium, East Bengal could break the stalemate only in the 84th minute as Ozbey headed in a cross from Naoba Singh to ensure full points for the city giants.

ONGC adopted a defensive tactics and depended on counter attacks and could have found the target early into the second half when Baba Tunde’s attempt missed the target by a whisker.

On the other hand, East Bengal looked lacklustre in the opening half, but gave an improved display after the lemon break as substitute Alvito D’Cunha shored up the midfield.