Mohun Bagan maintained their clean sheet against archrivals East Bengal in the Indian Super League (ISL) as they won the Kolkata derby 2-0 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
The Mariners defeated the Red and Gold brigade for the eight time in nine meetings, courtesy goals by the club’s Australian players.
Mohun Bagan delivered a clinicial performance as they went up to the second spot on the points table with ten points in five matches.
East Bengal, by contrast, continue to languish at the bottom of the table.
Here are the key talking points from the match:
Jamie Mclaren dazzles
Jamie Mclaren’s impressive run since he made his ISL debut against Mohammedan Sporting continues. After scoring on debut in Mohun Bagan’s previous ISL match, Maclaren opened the scoring for Jose Molina’s team this evening.
In the 41st minute of the game, Mclaren found the back of the net, with an unmarked Manvir Singh coming up with a decisive pass from the left flank and the Australian player scored dodging Anwar Ali, who was found wanting in his effort to stop Mclaren from rising in the box.
Manvir and Liston’s free runs
Two players who created most number of chances in the match were Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco. They made sure Mohun Bagan having ample supply of the balls throughout the game.
Both Manvir, operating on the right flank, and Liston, playing on the left side, kept East Bengal defence busy with their freewheeling movements on the flanks.
Mohun Bagan, however, could not make use of the chances initially. But Manvir was never shy of creating chances. In the 25th minute of the match, when he got a Greg Stewart delivery from outside the box, he has almost scored with a behind-the-back header but a brilliant save by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill denied him the chance to score.
Similarly, Liston, operated fluently on the left flank, creating furry of chances. He also came close to scoring when Stewart’s long delivery fell on his feet, but the Indian player could not execute the shot.
East Bengal blunt attacking prowess
East Bengal’s winless streak continues. They lost five matches in a row, their most since they started playing in the ISL. In the 2022-2023 season, East Bengal lost four matches in a row. This time they surpassed the previous record due to reasons that they failed to address despite having a good team at their disposal.
In the entire match, only Nandha Kumar and Madih Talal looked in touch as they showed intent to create chances. They were successful on a few occasions. One such occasion came in the first half when Saul Crespo headed down a centre from Nandha in the Mohun Bagan box. But his shot lacked power as a result Vishal Kaith made a clean save. But in most of the match, East Bengal’s attack lack sharpness.
Dimitrios Petratos shines
Coming as a substitute for Mclaren in the 70th minute, Australian Petratos made immediate effect. His quick runs gave East Bengal defence a tough time. He eventually forced East Bengal goalkeeper Gill to commit a mistake. With Petratos moving with the ball omnimously, Gill tackled him while tying to save the ball. Referee Tejas had no doubt as he gave a penalty to Mohun Bagan and Petratos, stepping in, made no mistake. His grounded shot hit the net and gave Mohun Bagan a 2-0 win.
Flamboyant Mohun Bagan fans
As Mohun Bagan have overcome the early hiccups of the season, fans found the reasons to rejoice. And they could not have asked a better moment to celebrate club’s upsurge in the ISL 2024-25.
On Saturday, large number of crowd thronged the Salt Lake Stadium to see their team beating their archrivals East Bengal.
The win of Mohun Bagan silenced the East Bengal fans. When Petratos scored and sealed a 2-0 win, the Mohun Bagan fans lit up the green and maroon flares at the Salt Lake Stadium to celebrate their remarkable victory.
On their way back home, the jubilant fans cheered for their club and jeered at East Bengal fans.
With Mohun Bagan leaving for away clashes against Hyderabad FC and Odisha FC, this victory would raise the confidence level not only of the fans but the team as well.
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