The 2023-24 season of the Indian Super League returned after the winter break on January 31 this year and in the first matchweek is headlined by the Kolkata derby on February 3.
FOLLOW THE KOLKATA DERBY LIVE HERE: MOHUN BAGAN VS EAST BENGAL LIVE SCORE, ISL 10 UPDATES
East Bengal, the recently crowned Kalinga Super Cup champion, will face an injury-stricken Mohun Bagan Super Giant, with the hopes to open its account of wins against the arch-rival in the league so far.
The last time the two teams met was in the Super Cup, it was Carles Cuadrat’s boys who came out on the winning side, at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar.
What happened in the last Kolkata derby, Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal?
Cleiton Silva led from the front as East Bengal secured its second derby win of the season against arch-rival Mohun Bagan Super Giant in a Group A match and stormed into the semifinals of the Kalinga Super Cup at the Kalinga Stadium Main Pitch in Bhubaneswar on Friday.
Silva hit a brace, while Nandhakumar Sekar, too got his name on the scoresheet. Hector Yuste had given MBSG the lead early in the first half.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s Brendan Hamill heads the ball against East Bengal captain Cleiton Silva at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar. | Photo Credit: Biswaranjan Rout / The Hindu
Mohun Bagan opened the deadlock in the 19th minute. Dimitros Petratos delivered a well-executed low corner kick, and Hector Yuste showcased his skill by flicking the ball in at the near post to score.
Despite conceding the goal, East Bengal did not lose its spirit. Instead, it responded in style. After a Souvik Chakraborty attempt struck the crosspiece in the 21st minute, East Bengal’s efforts were rewarded in the 24th minute when it equalised.
With the score tied at 1-1, both teams engaged in a tight contest. The first half concluded with a dramatic moment when Bagan was awarded a penalty after a shot from its winger, Kiyan Nassiri, struck the hand of Hijazi Maher inside the East Bengal box.
Dimitrios Petratos took the responsibility to take the spot kick and scored, but his goal was chalked off because his teammates Hugo Boumous and Raj Basfore had encroached into the box too soon.
Faced with the pressure of a retake, Petratos stepped up once again. However, this time, he was unable to replicate his earlier success. His shot struck the woodwork, squandering a crucial opportunity to put Bagan ahead.
The Red and Gold took the lead in the 63rd minute. Bagan defender Shiv Rana was lackadaisical on the ball, and East Bengal’s Borja Gonzalez chased him down to snatch it away. The Spaniard hit a curler past the Bagan keeper, but his shot hit the goalpost. Nandhakumar was nearby to slot home from the rebound.
East Bengal doubled its lead in the 80th minute.
A cross came in towards Hijazi who had got in a good position inside the Mohun Bagan box. He won the header, but the effort was straight at Arsh. Arsh held on to the ball initially but ended up spilling it, and Cleiton was there to capitalise on the mistake and bury the ball inside the net for his brace.
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