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East Bengal edged past arch-rivals Mohun Bagan 3-2 in a thrilling encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening. The match was worth watching and had every element in it. The near 65,000 spectators present at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening enjoyed the intense competition, but in the end, it was the East Bengal fans that returned home with smiling faces.
Mohun Bagan would be disappointed that a few decisions by the referee went against them. But that doesn’t change the fact that they lost the match because of their own mistakes. With this loss, Shankarlal Chakraborty’s men find them in a very difficult position in the context of the I-League
Let us have a look at the 3 reasons why Mohun Bagan lost to East Bengal:
#3 Defending blunders
In the first quarter, Mohun Bagan had the upper hand after Azharuddin Mallik scored the opening goal in the 13th minute. Shankarlal’s men could have easily cashed on the advantage and swung the game in their favour. But the lead did not last for 5 minutes, it was disastrous defending from Mohun Bagan that paved way for the equaliser.
With three players in the last line of defence, Lalchawmkima and Abhishek Ambekar allowed a smart run by Lalrindika Ralte penetrate between them. An inch-perfect through ball by Jobby Justin found Laldanmawia’s feet, who placed the ball inside the target.
Things could have been under control but Kingsley and Kim Kima were at fault once again in the 44th minute. Justin was moving freely in the 6-yard box, a loose header from Laldanmawia Ralte was floating in the air.
With Kingsley and Kim Kima failing to clear away the ball, Jobby produced a side-volley to double the lead for the ‘red and gold’ brigade and give them the edge.
If that was not enough, the third goal sealed the deal for East Bengal in the 60th minute of the match. Soon after Bagan’s defender Kingsley was shown the marching orders, Adamawa Ralte converted his second after an initial save by Bagan shot stopper Shankar Roy.
Similar to the other previous incidents, the green and maroon brigade failed to clear the ball after Shankar pushed it away. Ralte was smart enough to slot it home from a few metres away from the target.
#2 Eze Kingsley's send-off
Mohun Bagan’s skipper Eze Kingsley has been around the Indian football circuit for quite some time and is quite an experienced player. He was named as the captain of Mohun Bagan prior to the season. It was expected of him to act responsibly, especially in a high voltage clash like the ‘Kolkata Derby.’
The Nigerian defender was booked with a yellow in the 12th minute. It was a needless challenge on the opposite player, but it was foolish to concede. Following which it was obvious that he should be cautious before committing a tackle for the rest of the 78 minutes!
With 1-2 down on the scoresheet and 30 minutes left of regulation time left, he was guilty of another tackle near to the corner spot. It could have been avoided or handled more effectively.
The referee was not shy to slip his hands into his pocket and take out the red card. Mohun Bagan was reduced to 10 men with 1/3rd of the game left to play, it was a turning point in the context of the game. Mohun Bagan conceded the third goal just after he marched off the playing area.
A careless few moments from a player can change of the fate of the game to a large extent. Sunday's fixture was a perfect example of that case. Down with 10 men and trailing by 2 goals, Bagan was handicapped for the rest of the match. Although the ‘Mariners’ pressed hard, East Bengal managed to hold on to the lead.
#1 Resilient defending from East Bengal till the end
When East Bengal was leading 3-1, coupled with the numerical superiority, it was almost game over for Mohun Bagan. But the ‘Mariners’ put up a rather surprise comeback it was looking as if they were about to salvage a point from the tie. But the entire East Bengal team held their nerves till the end to register a memorable win at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday evening.
With half an hour to go, it was already curtains down for Mohun Bagan, but local talents like Sheikh Faiaz and Arijit Bagui re-kindled their hopes. Against all odds, the ‘green and maroon’ brigade was dictating terms as the game approached the 70th-minute mark.
There was an abundant supply of balls to the forwards, but the stubborn East Bengal defence stood tall. Kassim Aidara and the other players also provided the much-needed support when needed.
Borja Gomez Perez was the pick of the defenders for East Bengal. Acosta and Borja kept Mohun Bagan’s strikers in check. The duo of Henry Kisseka and Dipanda Dicka was silent for the majority of the match because they were not allowed to play their natural game. The hard work paid off for the entire team and Alejandro Menendez’s men scripted their second consecutive win in the ongoing I-League.
