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SC East Bengal began their Indian Super League (ISL) campaign on a somber note as they fell to a 0-2 loss to ATK Mohun Bagan in the league's first-ever Kolkata Derby. The Red and Golds started well and showed promise, but the settled ATK Mohun Bagan side turned out to be the better team on the night.
The game had a typical slow start as expected in a derby. Both teams were cautious in their approach and were largely embroiled in an intense midfield battle. The first signs of brilliance on the pitch was shown by East Bengal's youngster Surchandra Singh. Singh nutmegged Subhasish Bose to set up Jacques Maghoma but the latter failed to deal with the ball after an average first touch.
The Congolese-British showed his skills and technique on the ball but failed to have much impact on the game. The first clear cut chance in the game surprisingly went to SC East Bengal after Anthony Pilkington came close to scoring but never dispatched his shot, allowing Arindam Bhattacharya to collect with ease.
Both sides used the wings to effect with players like Narayan Das and Prabir Das on the wings emerging as key stakeholders in the gameplay. The East Bengal defense looked settled and was trying to build from the back through the likes of Matti Steinmann in the back.
However, ATK Mohun Bagan was able to thwart the majority of the build-ups by putting the trinity of Javi Hernandez, Carl McHugh and Jayesh Rane to good use in the midfield. The defensive duo of Sandesh Jhingan and Tiri was also kept undisturbed due to lack of quality options up the pitch for SC East Bengal. Balwant Singh got few chances to score but lacked conviction. The first half came to an end with SC East Bengal impressing.
ATK Mohun Bagan turn the game on its head in the second-half
Robbie Fowler's SC East Bengal could not retain its shape and tactics in the second-half as Roy Krishna opened the scoring instantly after the start of the second-half. A pass from Javi Hernandez to Krishna led to a quick shot between the legs of Scott Neville and away from the reach of Debjit Majumdar in the 49th minute.
The Red and Golds were forced to put men forward in search of an equaliser but the resilient ATK Mohun Bagan defence held strong. Balwant Singh got the best chance of the game after being set up by Matti Steinmann but he blasted it off target from yards away. Anthony Pilkington also went for the goal from distance in hope to score but Arindam Bhattacharya pulled off a scintillating acrobatic save to keep the score 0-1.
The Mariners made it 0-2 in the 85th minute after Prabir Das' clearances turned out to be an assist for Manvir Singh. Singh raced down the wings to beat Narayan Das with his feet, check for options in the box, cut in and curl the ball inside the goal in spectacular fashion. Manvir Singh's goal put the final nail in the coffin for East Bengal.
East Bengal, thus, succumbed to a 0-2 loss. However, the Red and Golds do have some positives to take away from this game. They were defensively solid and had some good chances to score. However, due to individual brilliance from the opposition, coupled with a lack of match fitness, cost them the game.
East Bengal take on Mumbai City FC on 1st December in their second game at Bambolim while ATK Mohun Bagan face Odisha FC on 3rd December.
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