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One of the biggest matches in Indian football Kolkata Derby - was played for the first time in the 2018-19 season at the world-famous Yuva Bharati Krirangan, or as it is popularly known nowadays, the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata today afternoon in the eighth round of fixtures of the Calcutta Football League Premier Division.
It was the first Calcutta Football League derby after the renovation of the Salt Lake Stadium after East Bengal's emphatic 4-0 win over Mohun Bagan back in 2015. The previous Kolkata derby had been in the I-League in which Mohun Bagan had emerged victorious with a 2-0 scoreline.
Today's match marked a top of the table clash in the Calcutta Football League Premier Division as the two rivals were locked at 19 points after seven fixtures so far in the league. The Mariners, Mohun Bagan were on the top of the table on account of higher goals scored in their favour (16) as compared to East Bengal (14).
Mohun Bagan came into the derby on the back of a win over the Aryan Club with a 2-0 margin whereas East Bengal fought off a stiff challenge against George Telegraph to win 2-1 courtesy a last-minute goal by Koushik Sarkar.
Mohun Bagan started strong in the match and took a 2-0 lead before the debuting Jhonny Acosta cut it down to 2-1 at the end of the first half. East Bengal had a better second half as they equalized through Laldanmawia Ralte.
Mohun Bagan A.C.
Shilton Paul (5/10) - The Mohun Bagan captain had a pretty quiet first half as the defence kept the attacks at bay for the most part. He conceded unlucky goals from rebounds after he had made good saves.
Arijit Bagui (7.5/10) - The right-back for Bagan was the most dangerous player on the pitch as he created the first two goals for Bagan with his crosses from the right flank.
Eze Kingsley (6.5/10) - The central defender was the wall for Bagan today as he blocked and tackled everything that came in his path. He won a lot of headers and was always a danger during setpieces.
Lalchawnkima (6.5/10) - Kima was an able partner to Kingsley in defence as he moved the ball well from the back and was strong in his challenges as well.
Abhishek Ambekar (/10) - The left-back had a productive afternoon on the pitch as he did well on both the defensive and attacking fronts with his runs on the left flank.
Shilton de Silva (5/10) - The former Mumbai FC midfielder had a solid outing in the central midfield for the Bagan side as he put in a lot of tackles to provide protection to the defence. At times, he even tested the East Bengal goal from long distance.
Britto PM (5.5/10) - The midfielder moved the ball well across the centre of the park and found the runs of attacking players ahead of him.
Pintu Mahata (6.5/10) - The youngster got the first goal of the match with a solid finish from inside the box and was a constant source of attacks with his movement on the right side of the attack.
Sourav Das (6/10) - The attacking midfielder made a lot of runs alongside the two strikers into the box and came close to scoring on a couple of occasions.
Asier Dipanda Dicka (6/10) - The dangerous striker was ever-present in the box at the end of crosses and kept the East Bengal defence on their toes throughout the ninety minutes.
Henry Kisseka (7/10) - The former Gokulam Kerala FC man came close to scoring early on in the match from a freekick but found the net in the first half to make it 2-0. He used his physicality well to make life tough for the East Bengal defenders.
Substitutes:
Mehtab Hossain (1/10) - The veteran midfielder came on before the hour mark to replace Shilton D'Silva in the midfield as Chakraborty added experience and grit to his lineup on the field. Unfortunately, he had a short stay as he got injured after a fall and was replaced.
Dareen Caldeira (3/10) - The former Bengaluru FC and ATK man was put on by Shankarlal Chakraborty to replace Mehtab Hossain in the midfield for the final half an hour of the match.
Azharuddin Mallick (2/10) - The young winger came on to replace Britto PM towards the end of the match as Bagan looked to find the match-winning goal.
East Bengal FC
Rakshit Dagar (4.5/10) - The East Bengal custodian was tested early on in the match by Bagan striker Henry Kisseka from a freekick from a fair distance as he dived to keep the effort out. However, he conceded two goals in the first half as the defence was not able to deal with the crosses by the Bagan wingers.
Samad Ali Mallick (5.5/10) - The captain of the East Bengal side played in central defence alongside Jhonny Acosta. He had a hectic first half as Bagan kept turning the screws in attack and created a lot of chances.
Jhonny Acosta Zamora (6.5/10) - The central defender making his debut had a torrid time in defence as there was a clear lack of communication at the back for the East Bengal side. However, he got his name on the scoresheet just before the end of the first half to cut the lead down to 2-1.
Mehtab Singh (5/10) - The right-back was very active on the flank for East Bengal as he made a lot of runs and combined well with the midfielders ahead of him. He had to defend a lot as well and had to track back whenever the team required him to.
Lalram Chullova (5/10) - The left-back was kept on his toes throughout the match by the Mohun Bagan wingers who attacked a lot on his flank. He was not very active in the attack as a result of this.
Laldanmawia Ralte (7/10) - The creative midfielder was active on the left side of the attack for East Bengal and tried to trouble the Bagan defence with his speed but found it tough today. He was the target of a lot of through balls from the midfield. He got the equalizing goal in the second half as he latched onto a rebound after a save by the Bagan keeper.
Kamalpreet Singh Grewal (3.5/10) - The midfielder had a poor outing in the centre of the park and could not cope with the physical side of the Mohun Bagan midfield. He was taken off just before the end of the first half and replaced by Lalrindika Ralte.
Kassim Aidara (5.5/10) - The former Minerva Punjab FC man played the role of enforcer in the midfield and put in a lot of tackles all around the park.
Brandon Vanlalremdika (6/10) - The diminutive attacker was a major thaw for Mohun Bagan defence with his menacing runs down the wing. He was replaced late in the second half by Surabuddin Mallick.
Mahmoud Al Amna (7/10) - The Syrian midfielder was the engine for the East Bengal side in the midfield as he did it all for them. He created the chances with his passing and even had a couple of close chances at the goal.
Jobby Justin (5/10) - The man from Kerala was the target man in attack for East Bengal and made good runs inside the Bagan box but did not have many chances today.
Substitutes:
Lalrindika Ralte (3/10) - The experienced midfielder came on to replace Kamalpreet Singh Grewal before the end of the first half.
Surabuddin Mallick (2/10) - The youngster replaced Laldanmawia Ralte in attack as East Bengal added fresh legs to their attack in search of the winning goal.
Bali Gagandeep (1/10) - The striker replaced Jobby Justin with ten minutes to go in the match as they kept looking for the winning goal in the match.
