Mohun Bagan Super Giant grabbed bragging rights in the season’s first Kolkata Derby, beating arch-rival East Bengal 2-0 in an Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 clash at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Saturday.
Jamie Maclaren scored the opening goal before Dimitrios Petratos scored from the spot for Mohun Bagan’s second.
As the two fanbases waged their battle with chants and tifos from the stands, Mohun Bagan started the clash on the front foot, enjoying the lion’s share of the ball.
The Mariners had two early half-chances, with Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh finding themselves in good scoring positions but failed to find their finishing touch. However, Mohun Bagan had to wait till the 18th minute for its first proper chance.
Greg Stewart, one of Mohun Bagan’s brightest prospects on the pitch, delivered a peach of a cross inside the Red and Gold penalty area. Maclaren got at the end of it and tried to guide the ball towards goal with a first-time finish but Prabhsukhan Gill made a point-blank save to deny the Australian.
AS IT HAPPENED: East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan, ISL Highlights
A minute later, there was a huge roar in the Maroon and Green gallery as Manvir headed the ball home from Colaco’s cross, but the celebrations were cut short as the referee’s assistant raised the flag for offside.
The attacking surge continued from Jose Molina’s men. In the 25th minute, Mohun Bagan had an excellent chance, this time from a set-piece, as Manvir headed the ball towards goal, only to be thwarted by another point-blank save from Gill.
East Bengal’s low morale reflected on the pitch with its drab style of football, as it struggled to create chances and break down a compact Mariners defence.
New coach Oscar Bruzon, who did not have time to implement his game plan, having landed in the city at 4:15 am on Saturday, was a helpless spectator as his team’s backline kept being peppered with systematic attacking moves by Mohun Bagan.
East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon during match 28 between East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 season held at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, on 19th October 2024. Abhijit Addya/Focus Sports/ FSDL | Photo Credit: Dipayan Bose
In the 41st minute, the East Bengal defence finally crumbled after its backline was split open by a razor-sharp three-man attacking move. Stewart passed the ball to Manvir on the right flank, who found Maclaren with a well-measured low ball. And Maclaren beat Gill at his near-post with a first-time finish.
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There was no change in the narrative in the second half as the Mariners stuck to their game plan of pegging their arch-rival back with their relentless attacking.
Molina’s men made extensive use of the flanks, with Colaco and Manvir making perfect use of the poor showing from East Bengal fullbacks Provat Lakra and Mohammad Rakip.
In the 64th minute, the Mariners had a golden chance to double their lead. Manvir found Colaco at the far post with an early cross, but the latter skied his effort from close distance, inviting a collective sigh from the Mohun Bagan gallery.
The Mariners had a chance to grab a security goal in the 83rd minute after Stewart went down inside the box. There was a vociferous penalty appeal from the Bagan players, but the referee waved the play to continue.
Bruzon brought on Dimitrios Diamantakos and Jesin TK to improve East Bengal’s attacking efficiency, but they failed to make an impact.
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Any hopes of an East Bengal comeback diminished in the 89th minute after Gill fouled Petratos inside the box, prompting the referee to point to the spot this time. The Australian made no mistake in converting from the spot to seal the deal for the Mariners.
The win takes Mohun Began to second place with 10 points from five outings, while East Bengal languishes at the bottom after failing to register a single point from the same number of matches.
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