Chennaiyin FC 0
lost to
East Bengal FC 4 (Kevin Sibille 35’, Bipin Singh 39’, 45+1’, Hiroshi Ibusuki 90+4’ p)

AIFF Media Team

BAMBOLIM: East Bengal FC ignited their semi-final hopes with a commanding 4-0 win over Chennaiyin FC in Group A of the AIFF Super Cup 2025-26 at the GMC Stadium on Tuesday, October 28, 2025. The result also confirmed Chennaiyin’s elimination from the tournament after back-to-back defeats.

Thounaojam Bipin Singh (39’, 45+1’) was the star of the show with a brilliant brace. Kevin Sibille, though, opened the scoring in the 35th minute, while Hiroshi Ibusuki netted his debut goal from the spot in stoppage time.

The match began with Chennaiyin FC showing early intensity and pressing high up the pitch. Farukh Choudhary almost gave them the lead when he danced past three defenders and forced a sharp save from Prabhsukhan Singh Gill at the near post. East Bengal struggled to get on the ball and looked unsettled under pressure, pinned inside their own half during the opening quarter.

But football has a way of flipping its script in moments, and East Bengal seized theirs spectacularly. Against the run of play in the 35th minute, Mahesh Singh delivered a teasing free-kick from the left. Kevin Sibille rose above the Chennaiyin defence to nod the ball home, sparking an eruption of noise from the Red and Gold bench.

That moment unleashed a wave of confidence through the side. Within minutes, Mahesh turned provider again, this time from the right flank. His low cross was met perfectly by Bipin Singh, who timed his run to beat the line and guided it past Nawaz with ice-cool precision. Chennaiyin were rocked, unable to cope with East Bengal’s sudden surge.

Then, in first-half stoppage time, Bipin delivered again. Played through on the left, he opened up his body and curled a clinical finish into the far corner. Nawaz got fingertips on it, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball rippling the net. In just eleven minutes, the match had been transformed as East Bengal went from struggling to flying into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.

The second half saw Chennaiyin FC try to muster a comeback through long spells of possession, but despite their effort, they lacked the cutting edge to really test East Bengal’s backline. The Red and Golds slowed down the tempo, absorbed the pressure and patiently waited for chances to break on the counter.

Hiroshi Ibusuki nearly scored a sensational debut goal in the 85th minute, unleashing a long-range thunderbolt that cannoned off the crossbar and left Nawaz stranded. But the Japanese striker didn’t leave empty-handed. In stoppage time, Mandar Rao Dessai brought down Edmund Lalrindika inside the box. Hiroshi stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner to seal the 4-0 rout.