Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs East Bengal Highlights, Durand Cup: EBFC beats MBSG 1-0, wins Kolkata derby after four years

The lone goal by Nandhakumar Sekar seals three points and a historic win for East Bengal, which not only gets its first win in the Durand Cup but also its first Kolkata derby win since January 2019.

Mohun Bagan gets a corner kick. Ashique Kuruniyan takes it and Anwar Ali connects to see the ball fly just over the net as the former FC Goa centre-back sighs in frustration.

The rain continues to increase in the stadium as Mohun Bagan is looking to make its final push to not have its first loss in the Durand Cup.

Anwar Ali delivers a long ball for Suhail in the EBFC box. Suhail rushed in and runs into Gill, injuring the goalkeeper in the process. However, the referee does not give any card or foul as play resumes amid torrential rain at the Salt Lake Stadium.

East Bengal has six men in its defence at the moment as it looks desperate for the win. This will be the first derby win for East Bengal in over four years and will take its points tally to four, if it can maintain the slender lead here.

Suhair is surrounded by two Kerala boys Ashique Kuruniyan and Sahal Andul Samad. Khabra tries to get the ball out of the deadlock and is pushed down by Sahal.

In: Rakip, Mobashir Rahman, Out: Naorem Mahesh, Nandhakumar Sekar

Sahal Abdul Samad gets the ball along the right flank and he tries to whip in a cross which is cleared by EBFC and East Bengal attacks on the counter. Nandha threads a through ball for Suhair, but Bose tracks back to make a brilliant interception, denying a certain chance for the red-and-gold brigade.

Bose makes another key interception and the ball reaches Cummins who tries to find his first goal in Indian football. However, the ball flies just off-target.

Gill takes a long kick but Bose intercepts the ball before Suhair could get to it as the ball finally reaches Kaith.

Vanlalpeka Guite replaces Borja Hererera. The Indian U-17 player has impressed in age-group tournaments and he will look to step up in this epic clash, the Kolkata derby.

Cuadrat’s men have found the breakthrough and the clash of Spaniard’s is entering the final quarter. This is where Ferrando will have a lot to tell his boys, who are looking for their third win in a row in Durand Cup 2023.

Carles Cuadrat is looking to change his options in the final third, with Siverio being carried off the field on a stretcher. Suhair VP will take his place up to lead the attack.

East Bengal has Gill has the trusted custodian tonight as he intercepts a Mohun Bagan long ball. The contest is aout to enter the last quarter and EBFC fans are already seen rejoicing in the stands of the Salt Lake Stadium.

East Bengal last beat Mohun Bagan on January 27, 2019 in the I-League. Since then, the Mariners have had the upper hand in the Kolkata derby.

Cummings tries a lofted hit over the net as he gets the ball in the EBFC box. But the ball does not dip enough as it goes out of play, leaving the Australian with his hands behind his head.

Manvir Singh is subbed off for the former prized boy of Kerala Blasters, Sahal Abdul Samad.

Mohun Bagan is looking to get back its composure after being punished on the counter. With small passes in the lower block, it is trying to build up for an attacks

Subhasish Bose whips in a cross for Cummings in the box and this time EBFC gets it away from both the Australian and Manvir.

Mohun Bagan is looking to fnid an answer as son as possible as Cummings gets the ball in the EBFC box. He is tightly marked by Khabra as Cuadrat’s side keeps the lead intact with clinical defending.

East Bengal attacks on the counter, with Nandha making a run along the right flank. He stops, beats his marker Thapa and then curls in a left-footer into the net, past Kaith.

Manvir and Petratos combine to try and score but East Bengal has maintained a solid defence so far in the game, denying clear chance from close proximity to its arch rival.

The Mariners have decided to shift gears and has brought on two Australians. Dimitrios Petratos and Jason Cummings replace Sadiku and Boumous. Cummings had played in the FIFA World Cup against Argentina.

Mohun Bagan’s defender Anwar Ali tries a hit from the midfield and the ball dips almost on time as it goes out of play off the post.

Mohun Bagan is looking to get its first-team striker, Dimitrios on, with the scores level. The Australian was crucial as the Mariners won the Indian Super League title last season.

Borja tries to get the ball in the midfield but is surrounded by MBSG players in his own half and Mahesh tracks back to get the ball out of danger for the red-and-gold brigade.

Mohun Bagan goes for a quick attack with Armando Sadiku marching up the pitch and passing to Boumous. Boumous’ ball is contained by East Bengal which tries a counter attack which ends in the MBSG box. Meanwhile, Manvir is fouled by Souvik and he gets into the book this time.

Mohun Bagan has decided to go with crosses from either flanka and East Bengal attacks on the counter. Siverio and Borja combine in the final third but Mohun Bagan tracks back right on time to dey a shot. Mahesh tries to follow-up but fails.

The second half begins with the teams changing sides and Mohun Bagan gets an early free-kick, following a challenge on Manvir Singh by Mandar. Boumous free-kick is cleared away by Elsey.

Despite both sides coming close to scoring, failure to convert chances sees both sides stay level at the half-way mark. In the final seconds of the game, Boumous gets the ball to Glan Martins, who skies the ball over the East Bengal net.

Boumous takes the free-kick which is caught on full-stretch by Gill as he keeps the match level at the half-way mark. The free-kick was gives after a foul by Khabra which saw him get into the book.

Nandha whips in a low cross for Siverio with not force at all and Kaith gets to the ball comfortably as the former Odisha FC winger expresses his frustration. He feels more EBFC players should have been in the box.

Khabra takes the free-kick but Mohun Bagan gets ot it before Elsy, who was trying to exploit the opponent’s spaces with an aerial advantage.

East Bengal builds from the ball with small passes, marching up the pitch. The final pass to Naorem is intercepted by Asish as MBSG resorts to man-to-man marking. But Asish fouls Naorem for an EBFC free-kick.

Prabhsukhan Gill, who has been a revelation with Kerala Blasters in the last two seasons, has not been seriously tested by Mohun Bagan so far, with long rangers flying off-target.

Mandar gets the ball in action for East Bengal from a throw-in but Mohun Bagan is keeping its defence intact with the Mariners trying a counter attack. Manvir gets the ball in the final third and then, Boumous’ ball for Colaco is cleared by Borja.

Borja Herrera wins the ball in the midfield and floats it into the MBSG box for Naorem Mahesh. But Asish Rai and Kaith jump to stifle that attempt, woth Asish hurting himself in the process. Asish eventually gets back to his feet but the danger has been evaded for now.

East Bengal has looked a lot more attacking a side than it did under Constantine in the previous derby, in the Indian Super League. But the goals have not come so far for either side.

Manvir gets a through ball from Asish Rai on the right flank but his shot is miles off target and MBSG misses another chance to get its noses in front.

Match resumes with MBSG tryiomg to score from a corner. But the corner from Boumous misses every MBSG player in the EBFC box.

Both sides have come close to scoring on mutltiple occassions with Sadiku coming closest to scoring for MBSG earlier in the first half while Siverio almost scored for EBFC in the 18th minute.

Mohun Bagan tries a diagonal ball from the back to its right flank for Manvir. Manvir crosses for Sadiku in the centre but Elsey intercepts to clear the ball out of danger.

This contest has become particularly interesting because of the return of Cuadrat. The Kolkata derby now has two head aoches who have won the ISL and both are from Spain. So far, in this game, the match looks locked with an end-to-end contest in the Salt Lake Stadium.

Naorem combines with Siverio, who threads in a pass through the MBSG defence for Nandha but Kaith gets to it with a timely interception.

Mohun Bagan attacks quickly against the run of play with Colaco starting the attack, passing it to Sadiku, who gets it to Boumous with a soft touch and Boumous shoots from 20 yards out. However, the ball flies curling off-target.

East Bengal’s congested low block is forcing MBSG to try shots from distance and Sadiku tries another shot from outside the box. But his shot hits Boumous, who was in an off-side position.

Naorem Mahesh beats the MBSG defender in the opponent’s box and crosses for Siverio, who shoots on target. But Brendan makes a key block to deny a certain chance for EBFC to go ahead.

Mohun Bagan decides to go for a long-ball approach on the counter and Sadiku gets caught in the off-side trap in the process.

Thapa’s foul gives EBFC another free-kick. This time, too, Elsey finds himself at the receiving end of the set-piece. But his header is puched away by Kaith. The match has been a very good contest so far.

Subhasish, Thapa and Colaco combine with triangular passes but the final cross in the centre is headed out by Chungnunga.

Khabra gets the ball in the box through a long kick and Elsey meets it with his head. But Kaith, the golden glove winner of ISL last season catches the ball easily.

Naorem Mahesh tries to draw defenders towardds him and Asish Rai mistimes a challenge on him to give East Bengal a free-kick. Thapa fouls Borja seconds later as EBC gets another free-kick, this time close to the goal.

Naorem Mahesh Singh gets the ball up front, passing to his left to Nandha, who crosses for Silverio in the centre. However, Anwar Ali intercepts to clear the ball away. In the next minute, Nadha cauises trouble along the other flank and this time Subhasish Bose wins the duel to clear the ball away.

Anirudth Thapa tries to get the ball through to Liston Colaco for an attack but Harmanjot Khabra leads the defence and intercepts right on time to nip that attempt in the bud.

Manvir is creating serious trouble around the East Bengal box but Saul tracks back to do his defensive duties and gets it to a EBFC centre-back, who then clears it out of danger.

Boumous tries to get the ball in the final third with an attempted overlap with Manvir. ut Elsey and the EBFC defence surrounds him, denying any space for a cross in the centre.

East Bengal tries to reply with an attack along the left flank. Asish Rai, on the other hand, stop it to get the ball back in control of MBSG.

Anirudh Thapa tries to get the ball up front but EBFC is keeping a packed low-block. But the ball eventually gets to Armando Sadiku, who tries a shot from outside the box as it whizzes past the goal.

The Durand Cup 2023 clash between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is underway at the Salt Lake Stadium with MBSG starting from right to left and EBFC starting from the other end.

Mohun Bagan starts with three changes from its previous game and with a 4-4-2 formation. East Bengal, on the other hand, also starts with the same shape, with Borja and Siverio leading the attack.

The playershave queued up in the tunnel and they walk out with applause from thousands of fans in the Salt Lake Stadium. East Bengal and Mohun Bagan, both start in their home kits of red-and-gold and green-and-maroon, respectively.

Mohun Bagan has is on a great winning run in the tournament so far, with commanding wins over the Bangladesh Army and Punjab FC in its last two game. East Bengal, on the other hand, has played just one game, where it drew 2-2 with the Bangladesh Army.

Both the teams, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan SG are finishing up their warm-up sessions before the high-voltage clash.

This game might just be the first real test for Carles Cuadrat on his return to Indian football.

In the overall head-to-head count East Bengal is slightly ahead having won 132 times against Mohun Bagan’s 127. The remaining 116 meetings ended in a draw.

East Bengal’s best player in the previous season, Cleiton Silva, landed in Kolkata for the domestic season today. But he will not be in action in the Kolkata derby in the Durand Cup today. He, however, might make the squad for the final group-stage match against Punjab FC on August 16.

East Bengal XI: Gill (GK), Elsey, Desai, Khabra (C), Chungnunga, Nandhakumar, Crespo, Souvik, Borja, Siverio, Mahesh

Mohun Bagan XI: Kaith (GK), Ali, Hamill, Bose (C), Rai, Thapa, Boumous, Glan, Sadiku, Colaco, Manvir

The stage is set for the most intensely rivalled fixture of Indian football as Mohun Bagan Super Giant takes on Emami East Bengal in the first meeting of the new season, which will happen in the Durand Cup group-A league at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

The more than a century-old rivalry will have Mohun Bagan as the favourite. The current Indian Super League champion has turned out the winner in the last eight derby meetings (since January 2020) across tournaments.

With the demand for the tickets indicating another packed turnout at the giant venue of their fabled contest, Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando will be under pressure to keep the momentum and extend the team’s winning run to a record ninth match.

For East Bengal’s new coach, Carles Cuadrat, this will be the occasion to seek redemption by ending the procession of losses. In the overall head-to-head count East Bengal is slightly ahead having won 132 times against Mohun Bagan’s 127. The remaining 116 meetings ended in a draw.

Mohun Bagan is currently leading the group-A standings having convincingly beaten Bangladesh Army and the I-League champion Roundglass Punjab FC in its previous two outings. It now needs a draw to secure the top spot and move into the quarterfinals.

But this logic would not be applicable in the match against East Bengal as nothing but a win would satisfy its supporters. East Bengal is on one point after playing out a 2-2 draw against Bangladesh Army and needs two subsequent wins to edge past its traditional rival and make it to the top of the group league standings.