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The top of the I-League got even more interesting as East Bengal clinched a vital three points today in the Kolkata derby courtesy of a 2-1 win over Mohun Bagan. East Bengal drew first blood late in the first half as Do Dong Hyun scored his first goal in the I-League to put the Red and Gold in front.
The South Korean later doubled their lead in the 74th minute, only to see the Mariners storm back into the contest. Bagan skipper Katsumi Yusi powered in a fantastic header in the 82nd minute to give the technically sound away side hope. And then they thought they had finally made an amazing comeback when Sehnaj Singh brought down Jeje Lalpekhlua in the box to give Bagan a penalty deep into injury time.
However, the Indian international failed to write the bottom line to story of the game as he would have wished for as his cheeky try to fool Luis Barreto from the spot fell flat on its face. Here are five of the biggest taking points from the hotly contested game at Siliguri.
Bernard Mendy finally comes to the party
A lot was expected of Bernard Mendy when East Bengal signed him at the beginning of the season. However, after a promising start to his East Bengal career, the Frenchman failed to fully live up to the expectations. One of the biggest cause for concern has been integrating him into the setup and presenting the Frenchman with a position where he could flourish.
After playing all across the midfield, the Chennayin FC star was today played up front alongside Ranty Martins. Biswajit Bhattacharya’s tactic of utilizing the physical presence of the Frenchman paid off the in the first half as he time and time again bullied Kingshuk Debnath. The ploy finally bore fruit late on in the first half when he won the header which led to the penalty decision which put East Bengal in front.
He continued to make his presence felt in the second-half and when Mohun Bagan began to turn up the screws late on, the former PSG man fell back to lend the midfield extra support.
The Mohun Bagan front line draws a blank
When the Mariners signed Cornell Glen from Shillong Lajong at the beginning of the season, the Maroon and Green faithful wouldn’t be blamed if they thought they had added another gem to their already star-studded line-up. The Trinidad and Tobago international had become one of the most feared strikers in the Indian football scene in the last couple of years after hammering in 30 goals for the North-Eastern club.
However, this year, the 35-year-old looks a shadow of his former self. Though he looked nifty upfront for the Mariners, he failed yet again to find the back of the net. Although he may have scored 7 goals for the Kolkata outfit, his overall play has failed to really win the hearts of the Mohun Bagan fans.
Meanwhile, this year has been a resurgence of sorts for Jeje Lalpekhlua. The Mizoram man in his second season with the I-League champions has netted thrice in the league and five more in the AFC Cup. However, today was certainly not a day he would remember fondly.
While his movement caused the East Bengal defence trouble every then and now, he failed to really put the final touches to his actions. The same goes for his blatant penalty miss in the 95th minute. After winning the penalty himself, the Indian forward stepped up to take the spot-kick; only to guide the ball tamely into welcoming arms of Luis Barreto.
After falling two goals down and coming storming back into the game, this would have certainly hurt.
Do Dong, the man for the Derby
The South Korean certainly seems to be the man for the big occasions. The nimble-footed South Korean became an instant hit after he scored two glorious free-kicks, helping East Bengal to a memorable 4-0 rout over Mohun Bagan in Kolkata in the Calcutta Football League.
However, his progression in Indian football since then hasn’t quite gone the way that everyone had expected. He has had a tough time in making his presence felt, scoring no goals in nine appearances for the Red and Gold. However, just as Indian football’s biggest stage beckoned a hero to step forward, it was Do Dong-Hyun who answered the call again.
The brace from the Korean were his first goals in the I-League and the first since his goals for East Bengal against Bagan in the CFL. While he certainly did miss a gilt-edged chance in the second-half, for now he is the star for the East Bengal faithful.
Luciano Sabrosa had a horror show
Mohun Bagan’s triumph last season was down to a sound defence as much as it was because of the scintillating brand of football that Sanjoy Sen and his boys had been applauded for. Bello Rasaq was the rock at the back for the Mariners as they romped to their first I-League win and fourth national championship last season.
The exit of Rasaq to East Bengal left a huge gap that Luciano Sabrosa was brought in to fill this time around. While they still have the best defensive record (0.85 goals conceded per game), there has been a certain uneasiness at the back that wasn’t there last time around and it showed today.
The Brazilian had a horror show as the ex-Salgaocar man was at fault for both the goals. While he had to pay for grabbing Ranty Martin’s shirt in the first half with a penalty, his overcommitted brand of defending again exposed the Bagan backline which ultimately led to the second goal.
His partner in crime, Kingshuk Debnath didn’t cover himself in glory either as the Bengali was outmuscled and overpowered by Bernard Mendy for large parts of the game. While Do Dong’s fine spin for the second painted a bad picture of his defensive abilities.
Sony Norde and the ground
Sony Norde has been the star of the show for the Green and Maroon ever since he set foot on Indian ground last season. The Haitian international took Indian football by storm with his brand of pace and power football combined with his nifty dribbling skills.
Norde was probably the biggest reason why Sanjoy Sen was able to lift the I-League in his first season as coach of Mohun Bagan. With him missing out, Mohun Bagan were dealt a big blow even before the game kicked off.
The game itself was not one that many purists would have really enjoyed. The pitch at the Kanchenjunga made it nearly impossible for either of the sides to really play any exquisite interplay on the ground.
Both the Kolkata giants resorted to long balls as East Bengal tried to key on to the physical advantage Bernard Mendy enjoyed over Kingshuk Debnath. While Mohun Bagan tried to loft it behind the East Bengal defence that seemed to play a high line for the majority of the game.
With Indian football in need of a facelift following another dismal showing in the World Cup qualifiers, better grounds are certainly of paramount importance.
