A game of missed Chances, Encroachments and Magic! The Kolkata Derby didn’t disappoint. But it was East Bengal who took all 3 points, scored all 3 goals to reach the semis of the Kalinga Super Cup. Hector Yuste scored early for the Mariners before Cleiton Silva equalised. Dimi Petratos missed his penalty as familiar foe Nandhakumar gave the lead to the Red and Gold Brigade. But Captain Fantastico – Cleiton Silva with a late tap-in scored his brace to seal the deal for his side.
Match Timeline
FT – And there goes the full time whistle. East Bengal take the bragging rights. The first Kolkata Derby of the season goes in favour of the Red and Gold Brigade!
90+6 – Mohun Bagan continues to attack but nothing doing for the Mariners.
90+3′ – Vishnu with a hit, saved, Ajay Chhetri with a hit, saved and Sumit Rathi clears it after the ball hits the post. Total mayhem at the penalty box.
90′ – There will be 8 minutes of added time.
88′ – Another change for East Bengal, OUT – Borja, IN – Ajay Chhetri
85′ – Vishnu gets past Abhishek with ease but Arsh with a big save concedes a corner
80′ – GOALLLLL! Game, Set and Match! Arsh Anwar spills and Cleiton Silva scores his brace!
76′ – 2 changes for Mohun Bagan, OUT – Sadiku, Hamil, IN – Suhail, Rathi
75′ – A change for East Bengal, OUT – Siverio , IN – Vishnu
72′ – Kiyan Nassir continues to be the live wire in the field. But the youngster continues to be wasteful in the final third.
68′ – Frantic attacks from Mohun Bagan. But East Bengal players are going down in the slightest of touches to slow down the game. The Mind Games continue!
62′ – GOALLLL! East Bengal take the lead! Nandhakumar scores! Ravi Bamadur Rana gives the ball away cheaply. And Nandha tucks the ball into the net when Herrera’s shot hits the bar.
61′ – For the second time, a Mohun Bagan player on a booking and commits a foul. Miranda with his second change. OUT – Glan, IN – Cummins
60′ – We reach the hours mark in this exciting contest. Still nothing to separate two sides and advantage East Bengal.
54′ – The first change from Mohun Bagan, OUT – Raj Basfore, IN – Ravi Rana. Clever thinking from Miranda to replace an aggressive player who is already on a yellow.
52′ – A lovely move from Mohun Bagan. A back heel from Hugo Boumous and Raj Basfore with a curling effort. But the East Bengal goalie collects it comfortably.
49′ – The to-and-fro game begins as both sides look to attack on either ends of the field.
46′ – And here go! The second half begins!
And we are minutes away from the start of the second half of the match.
HT’ – MISSSED – Petratos hits the bar. Mohun Bagan miss a crucial chance to take the lead. The first half ends.
45+3′ – GOALLLL! Ohh wait. It needs to be retaken. Encroachment by the advancing Mohun Bagan players.
45+2′ – PENALTY! A wonderful dribble from Kiyan Nassiri who was fouled inside the box.
45′ – There will be 3 minutes of added time.
43′ – A crunching tackle on Saul Crespo by Raj Basfore who gets his name taken. Both sides are attacking in phases and are keen to grab the lead before the end of first half.
40′ – End to End football. Clieton Silva takes a wild hack at the ball from a tight angle which goes way way over the bar.
36′ – Clumsy Football from both sides. Saul Crespo finds himself in ref’s book after a crunching tackle on Hugo Boumous.
32′ – A wonderful setpiece from East Bengal. Siverio puts the ball in the path of Nandhakumar who fails to put the ball into the back of the net. East Bengal continue to build pressure.
31′ – The first yellow card of the match. Mohun Bagan’s Glan Martin picks the warning after a robust tackle on Souvik Chakraborty.
28′ – East Bengal asks for a foul on Nandhakumar inside the box. The ref waves off. No Penalty given as the game continues.
24′ – GOALLLL! What a hit! Cleiton Silva with a thunderous strike has equalised for the Red and Gold Brigade. The skipper restores parity in the game.
19′ – GOALLLL! Mohun Bagan take the lead. After a string of corners, it was a slender flick from Hector Yuste at the near post corner, that put the ball into the back of the net.
13′ –Early moments into the match and it is a to-and-fro movement from both the sides. None have been able to establish their dominance over the other.
6′- East Bengal wins a free kick but nothing doing. The Mariners remain resilient in defence.
3′ – Armandu Sadiku puts the ball into the back of the net. But it is ruled as offside.
0′ – Kickoff! And here we go! The match begins!
19:27 – It is Derby Day and the players make their way into the field.
19:25 – Moments before the match and the two coaches speak. Clifford Miranda and Carles Cuadrat are keen to win the derby and lock their spot in the semi finals of the Kalinga Super Cup.
19:20 – Just 10 minutes remain. Kolkata Derby and semis on the line. The winner gets a chance in the continental Cup. High takes for both sides!
19:15 – We are just 15 minutes away from kickoff! Both the teams have completed their pr-match warmup preparations.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant: Arsh Shaikh (GK), Asish Rai, Hector Yuste, Brendan Hamill, Raj Basfore, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Glan Martins, Dimitri Petratos, Hugo Boumous, Kiyan Nassiri, Armando Sadiku
East Bengal FC: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Nishu Kumar, Hijazi Maher, Mohammad Rakip, Jose Pardo, Gursimrat Gill, Borja Herrera, Souvik Chakraborti, Saul Crespo, Nandha Kumar Sekar, Cleiton Silva
Both the teams are tied with six points and an identical goal difference (+2). East Bengal holds a slight advantage in goals scored, giving them the edge in case of a draw, as they aim for their first semi-final appearance since 2018.
Mohun Bagan’s Super Cup journey has been a roller coaster, securing victories against Sreenidi Deccan (2-1) and Hyderabad FC (2-1). East Bengal, under Coach Carles Cuadrat, triumphed over Hyderabad FC (3-2) and Sreenidi Deccan (2-1).
Cuadrat, while praising his team’s performance, expressed concerns about their defense heading into the crucial clash. The upcoming battle promises a gripping spectacle as these century-old rivals contend for supremacy.