The much anticipated Kolkata Derby in the Kalinga SUper Cup lived up to its expectations. A stunning brace from Cleiton Silva and a goal from Nandhakumar Sekar propelled East Bengal to a stellar win from behind, Hector Yuste scored the only goal for Mohun Bagan who bowed out of the tournament.
Keeping in mind the intensity and heritage behind this rival, both the Kolkata Giants came in eyeing all three points. A highly contested encounter began from the very beginning of the game, However, Mohun Bagan drew the first blood in the 19 minutes. Hector Yuste scored a stunning goal off a set piece to give the Mariners a lead for the first time in the Kalinga Super up.
However, their lead was short-lived with Cleiton Silva turning up the heat for the Red and Golds. Facing difficulty in clearing their lines from an East Bengal throw in the final third, Mohun Bagan found themselves in a crowded edge of the box. Cleiton took advantage, grabbing the ball and delivering a powerful shot that seemed to come out of nowhere, ultimately shaking the net. It was indeed an impressive way to secure the equalizer.
While a draw would have been sufficient for East Bengal, the case wasn’t the same for Mohun Bagan who kept looking for the breakthrough. The Mariners had the best chance when Kiyan Nassiri was fouled inside the box with a penalty being awarded.
Dimitri Petratos scored successfully from the spot, but the penalty had to be retaken due to an infringement when the Australian took his spot-kick. This twist of fate provided East Bengal with a lifeline. The players, Hugo Boumous and Raj Basfore were the ones who had entered the box prematurely.
Petratos failed to hit the target in his second attempt. Opting for the same side, his shot rattled the post, and the Mariners couldn’t convert from the rebound as the scores remained tied in the first half.
The second half started on the same intensity as both the teams eyed a win. However, East Bengal broke the deadlock in the 63rd minute. East Bengal’s Durand Cup Derby hero Nandhakumar Sekar turned up again for the Red and Gold.
avi Rana believed he had enough time to clear the ball from inside his own box, but Borja closed him down in a flash, causing Rana to lose possession. Borja attempted a curler, striking the post and rebounding into play. However, Nandhakumar capitalized on the opportunity, fiercely driving the ball into the net from the rebound, granting East Bengal a valuable lead.
Despite being a goal down, Mohun Bagan kept persuading for an equalizer. Constant efforts from Kiyan, Petratos and Bounous kept Prabhsukhan Gill busy while the East Bengal defence where on their toes. Miranda brought in the fresh legs of Sumit Rathi and Suhail Bhatt. However, while Mariners thought a comeback was on the cards, Cleiton Silva had different plans. The Brazilian doubled East Bengal’s lead in the 80th minute with a stunning strike.
A cross came in towards Hijazi, who had positioned himself well inside the Mohun Bagan box. He won the header, but the effort went straight at Arsh. Arsh initially held on to it, but eventually, he spilled the ball, and Cleiton seized the opportunity, slotting the ball into the net.
There was eight minutes of added time, however, the scores remained same despite a lot of goal-mouth action from both the teams. With the win, East Bengal Qualified for the Kalinga Super Cup semifinals, while Mohun Bagan Super Giant bid adieu to the tournament.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant XI: 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 Xi: Prabhsukhan Gill (GK), Nishu Kumar, Hijazi Maher, Mohammad Rakip, Jose Pardo, Gursimrat Gill, Borja Herrera, Souvik Chakraborti, Saul Crespo, Nandha Kumar Sekar, Cleiton Silva
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