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In a drama-packed Kolkata derby, the defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant walked away with a 1-3 victory over arch-rivals East Bengal FC in the ISL 2023-24 on Sunday courtesy of a first-half rampage.
The Kolkata Derby had a breathtaking start when the Red and Gold Brigade squandered an opportunity to pull ahead from the spot and then conceded three goals within the first 45 minutes.
There was some resilience on display from Carles Cuadrat's men after the break, but all they could grab was a consolation goal through Saul Crespo.
Right from the kickoff, the Mariners showcased their attacking prowess as Liston Colaco surged down the left wing, only to be fouled, granting MBSG a free-kick from a dangerous position in the first minute.
Dimitri Petratos, displaying his set-piece expertise, delivered a pinpoint cross into the box. Anwar Ali's header found Hector Yuste in a promising position, but the latter's attempt struck the crossbar, denying MBSG an early breakthrough.
Despite Mohun Bagan's dominance, East Bengal managed to weather the storm, and completely against the run of play, managed to win a penalty in the 12th minute when Vishal Kaith brought down Cleiton Silva inside the box.
Even with the home side's roaring fanbase cheering his every stride on the way to the spot-kick, the Brazilian talisman's timid effort was thwarted by the MBSG keeper.
The Antonio Habas-coached outfit breathed a sigh of relief and continued their utter domination in the middle.
In the 27th minute, Mohun Bagan's persistence paid off. Petratos unleashed a fierce shot from outside the box, which the East Bengal keeper could only parry into the path of Jason Cummings, who made no mistake with the rebound, pulling the away side ahead.
Not content with a solitary goal advantage, Mohun Bagan pressed forward relentlessly. Petratos, once again, was in the thick of things as his shot ricocheted off the post, falling kindly to Liston, who made no mistake from close range to double the Mariners' lead in the 37th minute.
As the first half neared its conclusion, the Torchbearers suffered a further setback as Nandhakumar conceded a penalty for fouling Liston inside the box in stoppage time.
Although Prabhsukhan Singh Gill got a touch on Petratos' vicious effort from the spot, he still couldn't prevent the ball from kissing the net. The East Bengal supporters were silenced as their team went into the break with a humiliating 0-3 scoreline.
East Bengal FC's second-half fightback insufficient of troubling Mohun Bagan SG
Mohun Bagan SG started the second half almost in the same rhythm as the ended the first. Petratos was brought down inside the opposition box minutes after the restart, but the referee waved off the Green and Maroon Brigade's penalty claims. For East Bengal, the idea was simple. With three goals down, they had no room to resort to a conservative approach and it was time to throw in the kitchen sink.
The route-one approach paid off almost immediately when Cleiton found Saul Crespo, who was making a cheeky run into the box, with delicious lofted delivery. The Spaniard collected it with his chest before volleying past Vishal into the first post.
Thereon, Antonio Habas's men seemed keen to rest on their laurels and pick up the win. Meanwhile, East Bengal continued looking for goals.
While Hijazi Maher's wild overhead attempt completely missed the ball's trajectory, Cleiton's header from point-blank range in the 63rd minute was denied by an audacious save from Kaith. Mohun Bagan brought on the likes of Anirudh Thapa and Asish Rai to regain control of the clash.
The match official indicated six minutes of additional time in the second half, and that's all the Torchbearers had left to string together a comeback. Vishnu PV, who was an absolute livewire since coming on, was brought down by Abhishek Suryavanshi inside the box. Although it seemed like a straightforward penalty, the referee decided against it and surprisingly booked the East Bengal winger for a dive.
Ultimately as the Torchbearers continued their heated protests, the referee blew the final whistle to bring the tie to an end. East Bengal had plenty of reasons to feel hard done by by the refereeing decision but after Mohun Bagan's onslaught in the first half, the Torchbearers could do much worse than scrutinizing their shambolic defensive display.
Meanwhile, with the victory, Antonio Habas' side climbed to the summit of the ISL 2023-24 standings while the Red and Gold Brigade remained in the 10th spot, ahead of Punjab FC on goal difference. But the Shers still have a match in hand, and hence, before the end of the match week, EBFC could well slump to second-last.
