I-League 2017-18 MATCH REPORT: Explosive Kolkata Derby sees Mohun Bagan edge out East Bengal to register 1-0 victory

THE EARLY SEASON BRAGGING RIGHTS were claimed by Mohun Bagan after the beat East Bengal 1-0 in a nerve wrecking Kolkata Derby match this afternoon.

Both teams adopted a 4-4-1-1 formation with the aim to outdo each other in the midfield, and as the match began the tempers started flaring on the pitch almost immediately.

East Bengal started with better ball control. Some early work put in by Al Amnah in the midfield saw Brandon Vanlalremdika being gifted some good balls but the first time he shot it wide and the second time the pass was too fast for the former Aizawl FC forward to latch onto.

Sony Norde also started making his movements but he was constantly being hounded by two defenders as usual. When Kromah fed him early on Mehtab Singh charged in with a tackle to stop him. Mohun Bagan had their first shot when Kromah had some free space just outside the box but he sent it wide.

The referee wasn't having a good time on the pitch at all. Eduardo uprooted Dicka as he was about to enter the East Bengal box - a bookable offence - but the referee seemed to think it was a legit tackle. He also let Mehtab Singh off with light warnings early on in the game, before he finally got a yellow for a reckless foul. He was subbed off for Lalramchullova just 22 minutes in.

Willis Plaza got a shot on goal from a good range but he sent it wide. Then Sony Norde rosefor a counter and sent a piledriver on target but East Bengal keeper Luis Barreto managed to block it. Kromah got hold of the ball but before he could shoot Eduardo went forward and made the block.

Then, some more strange refereeing. Lalramchollova ran in to try and tackle Sony Norde who was catching some speed up the left wing. But for some strange reason the referee awarded a free kick to East Bengal, implying Norde had fouled Lalramchollova, not the other way round.

It was just half an hour into the game and already the match was getting feisty, hot-headed, confrontational as well as controversial. But there was no goal on the board yet.

Within the next 5 minutes, the referee had to flash two yellow cards; one to Dicka, on to East Bengal's Gurwinder Singh who had been a disruptive force on Mohun Bagan's attack all evening, blocking, tackling and fouling at will.

Then came the long awaited moment. Mohun Bagan earned a corner. Sony Norde delivered it and Kingsley headed it into the net. About thirty five thousand Mohun Bagan fans exploded in joy while a similar number of East Bengal fans assumed a crestfallen silence. Mohun Bagan had taken the lead. And things were going to get much more heated on the pitch.

Mohun Bagan immediately got the chance to double their lead as the East Bengal defence was caught sleeping by Dicka but Luis Barreto made a great save to deny him. At half-time, Mohun Bagan had just that one goal lead.

East Bengal coach Khalid Jamil started the second half with Charles on the pitch replacing Armand, whose presence had been physically effective but his passing game left a lot to be desired.

Mohun Bagan were now creating more chances. Ricky Lallawmawma found Faiaz in the opponent box but Deepak managed to clear the ball and Dicka, who tried to get to the ball, got injured due to a collision with Eduardo. He had to be removed from the pitch and substituted by Shildon D'Silva.

Right after the hour mark East Bengal came close to getting the equalizer with a 25 yard free kick. Katsumi Yusa delivered it with much gusto but the ball swerved out of target. Soon, Charles got on the back of a long ball and fed it to Brandon who tried to get the shot but Kingshuk Debnath managed to make the clearance.

Now there were jus about 15 minutes left on the clock. And East Bengal were getting desperate for the equalizer.

Mohun Bagan buttered a very good chance at the 80 minute mark when Sony Norde ran up to the edge of the box, found Kromah with some space, played the ball to him and took position at goalmouth to receive the ball but Kromah just went for glory from a disadvantageous position, and the shot did not have enough power to find the net. Sony Norde was so angry with his teammate that he walked off without a second look.

Then Laldamnawia ran into space on the edge of the box and let fly but Mohun Bagan keeper Shilton Paul pulled off a flying one handed save to deny him. 

With about 10 minutes to go, both coaches made substitutions. Khalid Jamil introduced Cavin Lobo who almost scored with his first touch; but Kingsley was there to head the ball clear. Sanjoy Sen got Nikhil Kadam in to replace Reynier Fernandes, and Kadam immediately cleared a long ball that almost found its way to Plaza.

The last few minutes saw East Bengal win multiple set pieces and a pandemonium unfolded in Mohun Bagan box as defenders literally threw themselves in the way to block shots from the East Bengal atttackers. The Red and Golds' final chance came with Willis Plaza finding Al Amnah with a good ball but the midfielder shot it wide.

When the final whistle came, it was a massive relief for Mohun Bagan fans and a sigh of disappointment for East Bengal supporters. For the six Derby in a row across all competitions, Mohun Bagan have remained unbeaten, and Sanjoy Sen maintained his 100% home victory record against Khalid Jamil.

The game was significant for Mohun Bagan because for the first time they seemed to have a functional midfield with the inclusion of Yuta Kinowaki, who had an intense duel going on with former Mohun Bagan and current East Bengal player Katsumi Yusa; a samurai face-off that formed an interesting sub-plot in the Derby.

Willis Plaza failed to remove the tag of 'big match blackout' from himself with the performance that he put in. And Sony Norde once again proved that he was the lifeline that this Mohun Bagan team had; without whom their attack would lose most of its edge.

But this Derby, seen by nearly 64,360 in the stadium and millions on television, will be remembered as the redemption story of one Shilton Paul, whose performances in past Derbies had earned him much rebuke from the Mohun Bagan fanbase. But today he proved them wrong with his multiple saves at heart-stopping moments that denied East Bengal the equalizer.

Mohun Bagan have moved up to the 3rd place in the I-League table with 4 points from 2 matches, while East Bengal are languishing at 6th place with 1 point from 2 matches after this defeat. Both clubs return to action next weekend with East Bengal hosting Shillong Lajong and Mohun Bagan welcoming Churchill Brothers.