Mohun Bagan SG post five-star performance to humble East Bengal FC in RFDL 2023-24 

Mohun Bagan Super Giant ran riot in the Reliance Foundation Development League (RFDL) 2023-24 as they cruised to a 5-1 victory against arch-rivals East Bengal FC on Monday, March 18.

Despite the humble seating capacity of the Bibhutibhushan Bandyopadhyay Stadium, Barrackpore, the Kolkata Derby invited an electric atmosphere. Ultimately, only the Mariners were left celebrating at the final whistle with a brace from Suhail Bhatt and a goal each from Taison Singh, Sibajit Singh, and Dippendu Biswas dismantling the EBFC defense.

In contrast to the final outcome, the Bino George-coached outfit started the encounter on the front foot. Gunraj Singh’s freekick in the sixth minute kissed the crossbar and ricocheted wide. The Green and Maroon Brigade could hardly breathe a sigh of relief as Sayan Banerjee was presented with a gilt-edged opportunity inside the opposition box minutes later. But the East Bengal winger failed to keep his effort on target.

As Mohun Bagan coach Bastab Roy himself pointed out later in the post-match press conference, MBSG needed to weather the initial storm and rethink their approach. While the struggle for control raged in the middle, Sibajit pulled the hosts ahead with a stunning freekick from 20 yards out in the 24th minute.

East Bengal was left stunned and fans silenced. The Torchbearers were left clawing for a response with the momentum completely switching away from their end. However, just before the half-time whistle, MBSG struck second through another set-piece - one for the highlight reels.

After winning a freekick in a spot almost hugging the corner line, Taison whipped in a curling effort from the acute angle to beat EBFC shot-stopper Ranit Sarkar. Not many would have dared even to attempt a direct effort from the acute angle, but it was one of those nights for Mohun Bagan.

East Bengal FC suffer a similar fate in the second half of the derby against Mohun Bagan SG

As the players emerged after the half-time break, there was renewed determination on the faces of the East Bengal players. Aman CK almost halved the deficit for the men in Red and Gold right after the break, if not for the Mariners’ goalkeeper, Zahid Hussain, whose one-handed grab kept their cleansheet intact.

Quite like the first half, the Torchbearers’ attacking intent was met with a sudden goal for MBSG. Sibajit, involved in a set-piece situation once again, crossed the ball into the box. Suhail Bhatt was able to nudge the ball home after an elaborate squabble inside the box, handing Mohun Bagan an unassailable 3-0 lead.

In the 67th minute, Taison’s cross was hammered home by Suhail, who continued to create ample chaos for the EBFC backline with his physique. The loudest cheers from the Mohun Bagan stands, however, came in the 85th minute, when Dippendu Biswas headed home the fifth goal of the night. Hoping to have already sealed a five-star performance against their noisy neighbors, the drums and the pyros came out in the MBSG stands.

However, East Bengal managed to slightly dampen the celebrations and wipe off the opposition's cleansheet, when Aman CK scored a consolation goal in the final moments of the clash.

After the match, MBSG gaffer Bastob Roy addressed the post-match press conference, saying that while the margin of the victory was just for the supporters' delight, he only preferred to focus on the three points earned. He said:

"As a coach, I am satisfied with just the three points even if it comes by a single goal margin. The rest of the goals are for the supporters. The next two matches are must-win games and we will have to shift our focus quickly to that. We are playing United Sports in a ground [Rabindra Sarobar Stadium] with treacherous conditions and I'm concerned about that."

He added:

"East Bengal conceded the goals in a single spell and hence they suffered a breakdown. It can happen to any team and as this is a development league, we should much rather focus on the learning that these players are gaining."

With the victory, the Mariners go straight into the second spot in the East Region points table, accumulating 10 points from six matches. Meanwhile, the Red and Gold Brigade have eight points from the same number of outings and will have to hope for a miracle to earn qualification.