I-League 2017/18: East Bengal fans troll Willis Plaza, Uber joins debate to rub salt into the wound

What's the story?

The first Kolkata Derby of 2018 was comfortably won by Mohun Bagan as they beat arch-rivals East Bengal 2-0. The East Bengal fans, left frustrated by striker Willis Deon Plaza's poor performance, tried to troll the striker on Twitter. However, cab booking app Uber got in the midst of all the drama. The official handle of the company sent out a tweet which only added to Plaza and East Bengal fan's woes.

In case you didn't know...

The Kolkata Derby is one of the oldest derbies in Asia and also one with very high average attendance. East Bengal have won the derby 127 times while taking into account today's victory it can be safely said that Mohun Bagan have won the marquee clash on 117 occasions while there have been 119 draws till date. Indian football legend Baichung Bhutia holds the record for most number of goals scored in the Kolkata Derby.

The heart of the matter

Cameroonian forward Aser Pierrick Dipanda scored two goals in the first 35 minutes to give the Mariner's a 2-0 lead. East Bengal fans were infuriated by their club's performance and one supporter even took to Twitter to inform about the situation on the ground.

Angry mob. 🔥 It's really been terrible from @eastbengalfc, no cohesion, no ideas. Al Amna's injury a setback, yes, but can't excuse players behaving like strangers on the pitch. There's a laugh riot on in Chandigarh & Imphal. What a season of Kolkata cock-ups. #KEBvMB pic.twitter.com/rlhq9qhNqM

— Akarsh Sharma (@Akarsh_Official) January 21, 2018

The same fan then trolled striker Plaza on Twitter by sarcastically asking Uber to transport the foreigner to the Kolkata Airport. 'Uber Support', the official Twitter handle of the company's customer support team, obviously didn't get the joke and replied saying that a ride needs to be booked by logging onto the app.

Currently, you are unable to book a ride directly through Messenger. Simply head to our app in order to book your ride!

— Uber Support (@Uber_Support) January 21, 2018

Twitterati made a mockery of Plaza as they continued posting hilarious comments.

He should ve been dropped home after last season only...I still wonder how can a player like play got EB for such a long time

— Abhishek Singha (@abhi84singha) January 21, 2018

Lol! EB should send him Nabanna Troll Plaza😹😹😹

— Anit Ghosh (@Indianit07) January 21, 2018

Khalid needs him for the pre match press conference for all his superstitions! 😆 #KEBvMB

— Saumen Ghosh (@shomu_73) January 21, 2018

After going into the dressing room, Kingsley was asked to change and hence emptied his pockets before doing so. No surprise, as Willis Plaza fell out. #KolkataDerby

— Arka Bhattacharya (@Heilige_Kugel) January 21, 2018

Willis Plaza is so frustrating man! Fails to maintain his balance each and every time he tries to dribble past the defenders.

— Sceptico (@RandomBongVibe) January 21, 2018

So, a 2-0 victory for Mohun Bagan over their rivals East Bengal. Bagan were wasteful as well, but no one can stop Willis Plaza from being shit #KEBvMB #HeroILeague Brace by Dipanda. Two brilliant goals. Fantastic performances by Fayaz, Raynier, Nikhil and Akram #KolkataDerby

— Uday Akasapu (@Yardbirdie) January 21, 2018

Once upon a time, Willis Plaza used to deliver the goods. Now, he's just a passenger. #TrainAnalogy #KolkataDerby

— Arka Bhattacharya (@Heilige_Kugel) January 21, 2018

It didn't stop there as 'Uber India Support' took the matter seriously and asked the fan whether his problem was solved or not.

Hey Akarsh, were you able to get an Uber?

— Uber India Support (@UberINSupport) January 21, 2018

What's next?

Mohun Bagan rose to fourth position on the table with this victory. They have 16 points in their bag in 10 games and trail leader Minerva FC by six points. Having said that, it must be noted that the Punjab side has one game in hand.

Author's take

The quick response by the cab aggregator app Uber was well received by its followers and added on to the frustration of the East Bengal fans. The Red and Golds need to perform out of their skins to harbour any hopes of winning the title.