Indian Army opens 135th IndianOil Durand Cup campaign with a comfortable win over Samaleswari SC

Indian Army FT – 1 (P. Christopher Kamei 47’)
Samaleswari SC – 0Add Image

Kolkata, July 26, 2026: P. Christopher Kamei’s stunning free-kick early in the second half proved to be the difference as Indian Army Football Team secured a deserved 1-0 victory over debutants Samaleswari Sporting Club in a Group B fixture of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup here at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan on Sunday, July 26, 2026.

Kamei curled home the match-winning free-kick in the 47th minute as Indian Army dominated proceedings throughout, creating numerous chances but repeatedly denied by an inspired Aaryan Anjaneya in goal and the woodwork. Despite the narrow scoreline, the Army side produced a commanding display to begin their campaign with all three points.

All 43 matches of the 135th IndianOil Durand Cup will be broadcast LIVE on the Sony Sports Network and streamed live on SonyLIV.

Indian Army head coach L. Antony Ramesh named an experienced starting XI featuring the likes of Bhabindra Malla Thakuri, Sunil Benchamin, P. Christopher Kamei, P.P. Shafeel, and Samir Murmu. Meanwhile, Samaleswari SC head coach Abdul Azim Siddique opted for a side boasting four foreign players in the club’s maiden Durand Cup appearance. The starting lineup featured the Ivorian trio of Gnohere Kirzo, Armand Bazie, and Aubin Kouakou, alongside Ghanaian defender Joseph Adjei.

Indian Army made a fast start, as expected, displaying excellent cohesion and immediately unsettling the debutants. They created two promising opportunities inside the opening ten minutes, with Saikhom Borish Singh’s effort taking a deflection and drifting wide of the post, before Samaleswari goalkeeper Aaryan Anjaneya produced a fine save to deny Abhishek Pawar’s left-footed strike.

Indian Army continued to dominate possession throughout the first half, while Samaleswari SC defended deep inside their own half, allowing wing-backs Sunil Benchamin and P.P. Shafeel the freedom to orchestrate attacks from wide areas. Just after the half-hour mark, Sunil embarked on a surging run, weaving past a couple of defenders before squaring the ball to Shubham Rana, whose first-time effort drifted wide of the post.

Moments later, Samaleswari goalkeeper Aaryan Anjaneya produced another fine low save to deny Borish Singh, who was on the end of a well-worked team move involving Christopher Kamei, Shubham and Abhishek.

Samaleswari SC’s only notable attacking moment of the first half came when Gnohere Kirzo blasted the ball into the top corner. However, the effort was ruled out as the Ivorian had handled the ball while bringing it under control before taking the shot.

The debutants, however, defended resolutely for the remainder of the half, protecting their penalty area well to ensure the two sides went into the break with the scores level at 0-0.

Indian Army needed just two minutes after the restart to break the deadlock through a superb direct free-kick from P. Christopher Kamei. Second-half substitute Abhi S. Biju won the set-piece after a mazy run down the right wing ended with him being fouled just outside the penalty area. Kamei stepped up and curled the resulting free-kick over the defensive wall and into the bottom-right corner, beyond the outstretched dive of the goalkeeper.

The introduction of Abhi S. Biju added a new dimension to Indian Army’s attack, with his pace down the right flank causing constant problems for the Samaleswari defence. The hosts increasingly targeted that side, and the substitute came close to doubling the lead after racing clear of his marker, only to be denied by a fine save from the goalkeeper. Basit Ahmed reacted quickest to clear the rebound before Shubham Rana could pounce on the loose ball.

Goalscorer P. Christopher Kamei came agonisingly close to doubling both his tally and Indian Army’s advantage at the hour mark. The defender unleashed another thunderous left-footed effort from long range that beat the goalkeeper all ends up, only to crash back off the crossbar.

Samaleswari goalkeeper Aaryan Anjaneya, who produced an outstanding performance between the posts, came to his side’s rescue again in the 65th minute by denying Samir Murmu from close range. Abhishek Pawar won possession from Joseph Adjei near the halfway line, surged into the penalty area, and squared the ball perfectly for Murmu, who arrived unmarked. However, Anjaneya stood his ground brilliantly, making himself big to block the forward’s effort and keep the deficit at just one goal.

Indian Army continued to press relentlessly in search of a second goal but were denied by a combination of the woodwork and inspired goalkeeping. Substitute Liton Shil came agonisingly close when his header from a corner crashed against the crossbar. Moments later, Samir Murmu was denied once again by the outstanding Aaryan Anjaneya, who dived low to his left to keep out the forward’s effort after another well-crafted assist from Abhishek Pawar.

Samaleswari came closest to an equaliser seven minutes from time after a costly mistake by the Indian Army defence. Pardeep Singh’s attempted back pass fell short, allowing Marat Tareck to seize possession. With the goalkeeper out of position, Tareck delivered an inviting cross to the back post, but fellow substitute Aman Gaikwad failed to keep his header down, sending it over the crossbar.

Indian Army continued to be denied by the woodwork, this time through Abhishek Pawar. The forward unleashed a powerful right-footed strike from outside the penalty area that beat the goalkeeper but cannoned off the post and went out.

In the end, Indian Army secured all three points with a dominant display. They created a host of chances throughout the contest, registering 19 attempts on goal, eight of which were on target, but had to settle for a narrow 1-0 victory despite their superiority.

Tomorrow’s Matches

Mohammedan SC vs Baghpat FC, 7:00 PM, Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata