Highlights ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 East Bengal, Kolkata Derby: Manvir, Boumous goals guides Mariners to win; MB vs EB updates

Sportstar got to experience one of the oldest footballing rivalries, ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal FC, as the Kolkata Derby made its home soil ISL debut last weekend. From Lozenge Maashi and the tifos to our takeaways from the experience, check out the reporter diary.

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ISL 2022-23: ATK Mohun Bagan clinches win against rival East Bengal in season’s first Kolkata Derby

ATK Mohun Bagan gets bragging rights with a 2-0 win against East Bengal in the first Kolkata Derby in this season’s ISL.

Tuhin almost scoring a screamer. His long-ranger forces a save from Kaith and hits the foot of the post.

Petratos almost catches out Kamaljit with a shot from distance. But the ball just bounces wide off the post.

Four minutes added at the end of the second-half

Petratos’ driving corner finds Manvir who tries to flick the ball inside the net. But he cannot keep his effort on target.

Cleiton shoots from distance and it wasn’t too far away from te target. The ball started to dip quite late and eventually went out for a goalkick.

Eliandro’s cross is too heavy and goes beyond everyone. Aniket has another chance tp put in a cross. He goes low but it is too close to Kaith and the keeper collects the ball easily.

Ashique tries to find a teammate with a driven cross from the left but he overhits and the ball goes out for a East Bengal throw-in.

IN- Tuhin, Lima

OUT- Mahesh, Doherty

IN- McHugh, Pogba

OUT- Boumous, Kauko

Boumous cuts inside and finds Petratos inside the box. However, Petratos cannot keep the ball in control as he is closed down quickly.

A good attack by East Bengal. Eliandro does well to keep the ball. He passes the ball to Cleiton but his touch letting him down which allows Lenny to make the clearance.

Aniket tries to cross the ball inside the box but Subhasish with a brilliantly-timed challenge to deny the cross.

IN- Eliandro, Souvik, Aniket

OUT- Gonzalez, Semboi, Suhair

Kyriacou goes for goal from an ambitious distance which forces a save from Kaith.

IN- Ashique, Lenny

OUT- Tangri, Colaco

ATK MOHUN BAGAN GETS ITS SECOND!! IT IS MANVIR!! Poor goalkeeping from Kamaljit again. Boumous could not get his shot away and the ball falls kindly to Manvir. He takes his time and dispatches a shot and the ball flashes past Kamaljit at his near-post and ends up inside the net.

ATK Mohun Bagan looking to make a double substitution.

You have got to feel for Kamaljit here but there is no escape really. That was just poor keeping from the East Bengal keeper. And now, the momentum is completely on the Mariners’ side.

MOHUN BAGAN SCORES!! IT IS HUGO BOUMOUS!! TERRIBLE ERROR FROM KAMALJIT!! Boumous shoot from an ambitious distance. He connected well but it should have been an easy take for Kamaljit. But he completely misjudged the shot and the ball hits his glove and ends up inside the net.

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Liston with time and space to put a good ball inside the box. He tries to find Manvir at the far-post but overhits his cross as the ball goes out of play for a throw-in for East Bengal.

A dangerous cross inside the box by Mahesh. It was an early ball in and it would have found Semboi if not for a crucial touch by Hamill.

Meanwhile, Suhair is down again. It is the second time he has gone down in the match without any challenge.

Jordan gets the better of Kauko with a lovely turn but the Finnish international brings him down with a crunching challenge. He is lucky not to see a yellow.

Petratos with another dangerous cross inside the box. However, Kamaljit comes out and gets a good punch to send the ball away from danger.

Petratos pings a ball to Kauko from a corner. Kauko goes for a first-time volley but does not catch it cleanly. The idea is clear but the execution was lacking.

Early corner for East Bengal. Jordan swings a cross in but Asish Rai heads the ball away.

The second half between ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal kicks-off at the Salt Lake Stadium.

It is all square between ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal at the break. The match remains goalless.

Suhair’s cross takes a deflection and goes out for a corner.

Two added minutes given after the first-half

Petratos takes a shot at goal from the edge of the box but cannot keep it on target. He was closed down very quickly by multiple East Bengal players, which put him under pressure.

Cleiton tries to go past Pritam but the ATKMB stood his ground. Cleiton takes a tumble inside the box. He asks for a penalty but the referee waves play on and indicates a dive.

Boumous finds Asish with a good lob. Asish gets his header away but is an easy take for Kamaljit. Jerry meanwhile, has injured himself.

Sarthak takes a shot from an ambitious distance. It takes a deflection and goes out for a corner.

Jordan tackles well to snatch the ball from Petratos but then is brought down after the latter tugs his shift. Jordan did not like that and makes his feelings known.

In case you missed it, VP Suhair is back. It was a niggle and he is okay to play.

A good bit of pressure from East Bengal with a patient attacking move but the final ball is lacking. It is the end of the attack.

Petratos trying to shield the ball and create something but Ivan Gonzalez does well to put pressure and send the ball out for an ATKMB throw-in.

Another counter-attack by ATKMB ends with a poor touch from Liston. Hamill was shouting for the ball to be played in early but he did not get it.

A minor tussle breaks out between both sides. Nothing unusual in a derby. The referee calls captains Cleiton Silva and Pritam Kotal and has a chat with them.

Boumous shoots from point-blank range but it takes a deflection and goes to momentary safety. A lucky escape for East Bengal there.

Worrying signs for East Bengal as VP Suhair has gone down. East Bengal would not want to lose him, especially in this match.

Asish Rai tries to cross the ball into the box from the right flank but Jerry puts in a good block.

Sloppy from East Bengal- a miscommunication between Kyriacou and Jordan allows the ball to roll out for a cheaply conceded ATKMB throw-in.

East Bengal’s Kyriacou sees yellow for his earlier challenge on Joni Kauko.

A loose pass allows Mohun Bagan to counter-attack but East Bengal recovers well and thwarts the danger.

Jordan goes down inside the box and there is a roar inside the Salt Lake from the East Bengal fan section. Referee waves play on. No penalty!!

Liston had a chance to shoot at goal after finding himself in a good position inside the box. He takes the shot but does not catch it cleanly as East Bengal clears the ball.

Another chance to East Bengal. Cleiton, who had made a good diagonal run, is played a through ball. He was clear on goal but the pass was overhit and Cleiton could not reach the ball in time. Kaith gathers the ball in time.

Mahesh delivers a peach of a cross from the left and finds Semboi. Semboi gets his head to it and guides the ball towards goal but Kaith does well to make the save.

Boumous initiates a counter-attack from the left. He releases the ball to Liston who tries to penetrate the East Bengal backline. Ultimately, it is a goal kick to East Bengal after Liston took the ball out of play.

As predicted, ATKMB is more fluid with its attacking but the Red and Golds have been disciplined with their defending till now.

Liston cuts in and shoots at the goal from the left but the ball rattles the side-netting. Goal kick for East Bengal.

Another dangerous ball inside the box by ATKMB but East Bengal’s defence is alert enough to clear the ball away.

Petratos with a good cutback to Subhasish. Subhasish shoots at goal but cannot keep his effort on target. Jerry should have done better to mark Petratos.

ATK Mohun Bagan is on the attack right from the starting whistle. East Bengal needs to be at its defensive best to cope with the early ATKMB pressure.

And we are underway!! The Kolkata Derby kicks-off at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata.

Flood light failure in the Hyderabad vs Goa ISL match has pushed the derby back by 20 minutes.

Juan Ferrando on ATK Mohun Bagan’s 100% derby record

“Saturday’s game will be like any other game. It’s about three points. Of course, the occasion is special because I know the city and the history of the derby. The supporters will be coming and everyone wants to enjoy this match. But for us, it’s one more game and a new opportunity to get three points. We need to continue working.”

“If you watch the rest of the Hero ISL matches so far, more or less, every other team has been very compact. Maybe in the previous season, there was a big difference between the team at the top and the team at the bottom. This season, the teams are more or less of the same level. There are a lot of good teams and they have a chance to win. It’s important to prepare every game like a final. It’s difficult, but it’s good for Indian football.”

Stephen Constantine on the Kolkata Derby

“For me, all the games are important. The Kolkata derby is the biggest game in the Indian football calendar and it’s a special game. We are excited about facing ATK Mohun Bagan. They are a good side and we are expecting a very tough game and we will try to take the points. We are here to win football games. It’s a derby and your form goes out of the window. We have had a good week of training and we expect us to give a good account of ourselves on Saturday.”

• The Kolkata Derby created history when it witnessed the largest audience in any sporting event in India in the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final. 1,31,000 fans packed the Salt Lake Stadium. East Bengal won the match 4-1 courtesy, of a Bhaichung Bhutia hat-trick.

• The first-ever Kolkata Derby was played on 8th August 1921 in the now-defunct Coochbehar Cup.

Till now, Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have faced each other 382 times across all competitions and friendly games, among which East Bengal has won 132 times and Mohun Bagan 125 times. 125 games have been draws.

In the ISL, ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal met four times after the merger of ATK and Mohun Bagan. ATK Mohun Bagan has won all those games.

ATK Mohun Bagan: Vishal(GK), Hamill, Kauko, Dimitrios, Boumous, Manvir, Subhasish, Liston, Pritam(C), Tangri, Asish.

East Bengal FC: Kamaljit(GK), Sarthak, Lalchungnunga, Ivan, Jerry, Kyriacou, Jordan, Mahesh, Haokip, Cleiton(C), VP Suhair.

Mohun Bagan: Kaith(GK); Hamill, Kotal, Rai; Singh, Kauko, Tangri, Kuruniyan; Boumous, Petratos, Colaco.

East Bengal: Kamaljit(GK); Golui, Lalchungnunga, Gonzalez, Lalrinzuala; Suhair, Kyriakou, O’Doherty, Naorem; Silva, Haokip.

Two of the oldest opponents of Indian (and Asian) football – ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal - appeared to whet their skills and stratagem as the city prepares for the first Kolkata Derby of the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) on its soil.

The match, which comes up at the teams’ regular home at Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday after the pandemic, is expected to bring alive the excitement and the drama usually associated with the intense rivalry shared by the traditional rivals.

It will come as the second match of the weekend’s double-header where Mohun Bagan will continue to remain the favourite with its impressive start-list against East Bengal, which is still looking to settle down with a new squad assembled towards the end of the transfer season.

For the record Mohun Bagan has won all four meetings ever since the two sides started their ISL journey in the 2020-21 season. When the two arch-rivals met outside the ISL calendar, in the Durand Cup group league stage in August, the result did not see any alteration as ATKMB continued its winning run with a 1-0 victory to five consecutive games.

It remains to be seen whether there will be any change in fortune in their sixth meeting on Saturday. Both the teams arrive at the match with a win in their previous outings (ATKMB beating Kerala Blasters 5-2 and East Bengal downing NorthEast United FC 3-1). This factor is likely to add to the intensity of the contest as both sides look for bragging rights.

The Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando remained cautious about his opponent saying that the qualitative difference between the teams has narrowed down.

“This season, there is very little difference between the first-place and last-place teams. There are a lot of great teams who have a chance to win. In this case, we’ll have to prepare for the derby like a final – but I think this is great for Indian football,” Ferrando said.

Stephen Constantine, the former National coach now in charge of East Bengal, also remained quite upbeat. “There is also the question of bragging rights and pride that goes with the Kolkata Derby. I am aware that we have not won a derby in the last few meetings. So, we are going to try and fix that tomorrow night,” he said.

For Mohun Bagan and Ferrando, the win against Kerala Blasters came as a big relief as the team staggered through the early part of the season losing in the majority of its outings. It exited from the group stages of the Durand Cup before losing the AFC Cup inter-zone semifinals against Kuala Lumpur FC.

The start to the ISL season was also not bright as Chennayin FC visited Salt Lake Stadium to beat Mohun Bagan 2-1. It will be important for Ferrando to pick up a point and continue the recovery process. “The results don’t really matter in making one team favourite and the other side an underdog. The derby is always 50/50 and tomorrow we’ll give everything – passion, courage and hope we will win. It’s not a case of us being the favourites. They (East Bengal) are also working hard to win and so are we,” Ferrando said.

East Bengal too, has its task cut out as Constantine will be looking to provide a settled look to his squad by picking up more points from the match.

“We have made tremendous improvements since the day we began with 12 players on a rainy morning. I think we are a better team today than how we were when we played Mohun Bagan in the Durand Cup. Of course, it is a league match, so both the teams need the three points,” Constantine said.

Where will the ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal ISL match be played?

The ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal ISL match will be played at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake) Stadium in Kolkata.

When will the ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal ISL match kick-off?

The ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal ISL match will kick-off at 7:30 PM IST

Where will the East Bengal vs ATK Mohun Bagan match be shown on TV?

The ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal FC ISL match will be telecasted live on the Star Sports Network in India.

How can I watch the live streaming of the ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal FC ISL match?

The ATK Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal FC ISL match will be streamed live on Disney+Hotstar OTT Platform.