With that East Bengal remained on top of the I-League table with 20 points from eight games (six wins and two draw). Mohun Bagan are second, with 17 points from seven games. Both the teams are unbeaten.
And doing the post match honours are two legends of the game, Bhaichung Bhutia and Potsangbam Renedy.
Sanjoy Sen’s Bagan will play defending champions Bengaluru FC in their gameweek 8 fixture. A favoruable result, a win or a draw, will help them keep pace with leaders East Bengal.
Bengaluru are fifth with 11 points.
First half clearly belonged to Mohun Bagan, with the Marinsers getting as many as five attempts with two hitting the target. They also enjoyed greater possession, 53%.
But Trevor Morgan’s outfit responded in style in the second half, and they would be unhappy not to take all three points.
SECOND-HALF
East Bengal 0 – 0 Mohun Bagan
90+3′ – Plaza blocked a crucial looking cross, and corner to Mohun Bagan. Ivan Bukenya then cleared the ball. Free kick to East Bengal. Then the final whistle in Siliguri. For a change, a decent a game and more importantly a game played in good spirit.
90+2′ – Balwant had one-on-one run with Bukenya as Mohun Bagan suddenly increased the tempo. Corner wasted by Bagan.
89′ – East Bengal defender Bukenya produced a solo run, then a needless tackle conceded a free kick to Mohun Bagan. Kotal’s effort, however, failed to make any ripple.
Goal kick to East Bengal. Three minutes added.
87′ – East Bengal stopper Rehnesh has already been adjudged man of the match. His brilliant save, diving on the left, to deny Norde a possible strike was instrumental in the match… as of now, still 0-0.
86′ – Mohun Bagan have effectively failed to carry their first half form into the second half. But again, East Bengal also wasted half a dozen or so chances which came their way.
Change for Mohun Bagan. Sonny Norde substituted by Prabir Das. Seems like Sanjoy Sen has opted or rather settled for a draw.
84′ – Sonny Norde, for the second time in the last couple of minutes, wasted a good run, or was marked well by East Bengal defenders.
Then, Anselme breached the Mohun Bagan defence with a perfectly time run. But his final touch was far from prefect.
82′ – Pace of the match slowed down a bit. 10 minutes into the match. But East Bengal continued to move forward. Narayan Das sent a cross, which was blocked by Katsumi, for a corner.
Mehtab Hossain’s corner failed to create any chance for the home side. The ball cleared away to safety. But still a throw in for the Bengal. Das sent in a long throw in, which reached the box.
78′ – Ivan Bukenya floored with header from behind even as Mohun Bagan’s Scottish forward Darryl Duffy jumped for a high ball inside the East Bengal box.
76′ – Corner delivered, long and high. found a waiting Katsmui but the referee called for a foul. Free kick to East Bengal.
Anselme and Narayan Das linked up well on the overlap, but a contentious call inside the Bagan box ended with ball going out of the play, thanks to a long ranger.
Change for Mohun Bagan. Jeje Lalpekhlua made way for Balwant Singh .
73′ – Mohun Bagan wasted their corner, then witnessed East Bengal creating a chance. Luckily for the visiting side, the move ended with a long ball. Goal kick to Bagan.
From the long ball, Duffy had a sight on the East Bengal goal. Corner earned.
70′ – Duffy lost the ball in the centre, giving the ball away to East Bengal captain Anselme. The Haitian then linked up with Narayan Das, when whiffed one for Plaza. Nothing came of it.
On counter, Katsumi almost find the back of the ball. Instead earned a corner.
68′ – There was to be a sub, Thongkhosiem Haokip for Robin Singh. But asked to wait. Play on.
Then yellow card for Mehtab Hossain, one for the tea. Handball.
65′ – Narayan Das sent in a left-footed cross. Good one, but Ferreira headed away the ball, conceding a corner to East Bengal.
East Bengal, however, failed to make the most out of the flag kick. Robin Singh, in the middle of a defensive mob, was left complaining.
62′ – Finally, Mohun Bagan managed to wrest back the possession. But Plaza was as opportunistic one can be. He won the high ball from a Mohun Bagan defender, but his final touch disappointed him. Goal kick to Bagan.
58′ – Frenetic clearance from the East Bengal as their Ugandan defender Bukenya got the fist ball on the run.
Since then, the home side had slowed down with frequent cross-field balls. And that’s one hour into the match.
58′ – Debjit Majumder produced a brilliant save to deny Willis Plaza after the Trinidad & Tobado midfielder was set up in a one-on-one by Robin Singh.
From the resultant corner, East Bengal continued to probe Bagan defence. But the pressing ended with a high ball. Goal kick to Bagan.
55′ – Throw in for East Bengal. Another throw in for the red and gold brigade. Slow is the game, but East Bengal had dictated the proceedings.
54′ – Short corner, then a linked up play was blocked by Katsumi. Brilliant anticipation. Goal kick to Mohun Bagan
Then, from the restart, Norde tried a curling pass for Katsumi, but the ball won the race.
52′ – Plaza had a tumbling run after Narayan Das won the ball inside the East Bengal half. Bengal have slowly but surely managed to start controlling the flow of the match. Poojari once again involved himself in a brilliant run from the left.
First corner for Bagan.
49′ – East Bengal have won six matches on the trot, but their form and display today, have been a cause of concern for their fans. But still, they have managed to absorb the pressure. Poojari got a teasing cross send in from the left flank. But Robin Singh was beat to the ball by Bagan goalie Debjit Majumder. He is being attended by the medical staff.
46′ – Almost 30 thousand people in Siliguri. It’s still good draw considering the proximity and the capacity here.
Mohun Bagan got a probing run with Ralte, Katsumi and Kotal. But Kotal’s delivery failed to reach its intended target. Clearance for East Bengal.
The 1st half ends goalless at Siliguri, though both @eastbengalfc & @Mohun_BaganAC created a number of chances.#KEBvMB #HeroILeague pic.twitter.com/BrBYQLMtOA
— Hero I-League (@ILeagueOfficial) February 12, 2017
#KEBvMB #HeroILeague pic.twitter.com/LXwmwk8iOW
— Hero I-League (@ILeagueOfficial) February 12, 2017
FIRST-HALF
East Bengal 0 – 0 Mohun Bagan
45+2′ – Rehnesh got prolonged medical attention. Finally match resumed. It’s already into the injury time. Two mites added. Then, it’s Half-Time.
44′ – Throw in to East Bengal. But Norde won the ball back, and Pritam Kotal got a free run. Then ugly scenes ensued as East Bengal goalie was challenged by Duffy. But yellow card of Lalrindika Ralte as he questioned referee’s call of no booking Bagan skipper.
42′ – Plaza, once again. This is real move from East Bengal. That’s the best part of the match so far. East Bengal produced a brilliant run involving the Trinadad and Tobago player. But Katsumi pounced on a loose ball, then launched a counter for Bagan.
40′ – Plaza. with his imposing run and presence, almost got the ball in the dangerous area. But Mohun Bagan defence was up to the task.
38′ – East Bengal got a goove pressing after some time, managed to win a throw in. Narayan Das’s throw in found Anselme inside the Bagan box. Then a frightful sighe as Das and Katsumi collided mid-air.
Throw in again ato Bengal. Robin Singh won the ball and linked up with Mehtab, then switched direction.
36′ – A fleeting possession for East Bengal ended with a loose play inside the Bagan half. Sanjoy Sen’s players have shown more energy and purpose, even as hosts players found the proceedings little tough.
34′ – Free kick for Mohun Bengal just outside the box. Katsumi’s swinging delivery went out of player, corner for Bagan. Norde’s delivery from the left corner almost produced the goal, but Ferreira’s header missed the target, and went out of play after getting a huge deflection from a east Bengal player.
32′ – Third corner for Mohun Bagan, and the Duffy’s delivery failed to reach its intended target. Clearance for East Bengal.
30′ – Half-an-hour play over, and Jeje had a nasty tumble on the left flank going for a 50-50 ball. The Mizo has been quiet today.
28′ – Mohun Bagan left back Ghosh stretchered off. Had a bad fall after a collision. Goal kick to Bagan.
27′ – Narayan Das had a long pass but Robin Singh was already marked, and the lanky striker failed to get the ball. From the counter, Bagan created another move. The match so far has been about Bagan’s relentless attack against calculated defence from East Bengal.
24′ – From the goal-kick, Mohun Bagan presented themselves with yet another chance, once again involving Katsumi and Kotal. But East Bengal managed to cleared the danger away, thanks to a free kick.
21′ – After the initial turbulence, East Bengal players have managed to settle a bit, and have their first real attempt on the opposition goal. Skipper Anselme got a running play ending with a left footed attempt. On the target.
20′ – East Bengal skipper Anselme got his first real run inside the Bagan half. He tried to link up with Robin Singh, but nothing came off it. A throw in nonetheless. Narayan Das failed to have a decent throw in.
19′ – Eduardo Ferreira got some mopping up for Mohun Bagan. The Brazilina medio has been controlling the flow of the game, and from a long ball, Norde got another chance. But the East Bengal defenders mobbed the Bagan player.
17′ – Poojari committed a rough foul on Norde on the left flank, near the centre line. Free kick to Mohun Bagan. From the restart, East Bengal won the ball back and have had a long ball. Wasted chance.
14′ – Second corner kick of the match to Bagan again. Katsumi’s corner managed to create enough chaos inside the East Bengal box, but Norde failed to make the most of the chance.
12′ – Norde and Duffy got yet another incisive run inside the East Bengal box, but their final play ended up without a clue. And on the counter, Poojari had a decent run.
9′ – A long ball from Mehatab Hussain ended up conceding the possession to Mohun Bagan, then the visitors have the first corner of the match. But still a wasted chance from the flag kick.
7′ – East Bengal wasted a throw in the final third. The ball trickled down to the box and Mohun Bagan goalie collected it gleefully. The match is being watched by Stephen Constantine, the national coach.
5′ – Despite playing a waiting game, East Bengal have the first real chance of the match. A goal-mouth scramble ended with a desperate clearance. Moments later Robin Singh was adjudged off side. Yes, there was a call for foul play. Free kick to Mohun Bagan.
3′ – Katsumi managed tp breach through the East Bengal defence on the right flank, but still a loose play as the Japanese star failed to control his second ball. Second goal-kick for East Bengal.
1′ – Slow start to the match with Mohun Bagan getting the first few moves inside the East Bengal half.
Minutes into the kick off. Season’s first Kolkata derby will be played at Kanchanjangha Stadium, Siliguri with East Bengal hosting Mohun Bagan.
Playing XIs:
East Bengal: Debjit Majumder (GK); Pritam Kotal, Eduardo Ferreira, Anas Edathodika, Subhasish Bose; Katsumi Yusa, Souvik Chakraborti, Pronay Halder, Sony Norde; Jeje Lalpekhlua, Darryl Duffy.
#KEBvMB
https://t.co/IajTVVAc3E— Hero I-League (@ILeagueOfficial) February 12, 2017
Mohun Bagan: Rehenesh TP (GK); Rahul Bheke, Ivan Bukenya, Gurwinder Singh, Narayan Das; Mehtab Hossain; Nikhil Poojary, Lalrindika Ralte (C); Wedson Anselme; Robin Singh, Willis Plaza.
New Delhi: East Bengal are all set to lock horns with Mohun Bagan in the year’s first Kolkata Derby at the Kanchenjunga stadium, Siliguri.
With the Trevor Morgan’s side sitting atop comfortably with 19 points from seven matches, it will be aiming to extend their lead to six points over Bagan, who are ranked second. On the other hand, the Mariners, who have 16 points from six matches, will be aiming for a victory to keep them at level with East Bengal.
In their last two encounters, one ended in a draw while the other went in favour of East Bengal. So it is time for Bagan to equalise the head-to-head record.
EB’s crucial striker Willis Deon Plaza’s presence is however doubtful for today’s match, due to his calf injury. But Mehtab Hossain will be back in the defense after being on the bench for two consecutive games due to suspension.
Minutes left for the kick off & both @bhaichung15 and @RenedySingh have made themselves cosy for a fantastic game ahead#HeroILeague #KEBvMB pic.twitter.com/6A6BlC8GTF
— Hero I-League (@ILeagueOfficial) February 12, 2017
As far as Mohun Bagan are concerned, the side will be banking on their strikers- Jeje Lalpekhlua, Katsumi Yusa and the frenchman Sony Norde. Apart from this, Eduardo Ferreira will be there to defend after coming back from injury.
Huge cheer for the Red & Golds @eastbengalfc as they arrive at Siliguri. A great build-up for the Kolkata Derby pic.twitter.com/dWtVEyBBMm
— Hero I-League (@ILeagueOfficial) February 10, 2017
This is how the starting line-up looks
As football finds itself in a different dimension today, here’s Starting XI lineup for @eastbengalfc & @Mohun_BaganAC.#HeroILeague #KEBvMB pic.twitter.com/l9V8c2CRue
— Hero I-League (@ILeagueOfficial) February 12, 2017
Players to watch out for:
East Bengal: Wedson Anselme, Mehtab Hossain, Robin Singh
Mohun Bagan: Sony Norde, Daryl Duff, Eduardo Ferreira
Venue: Kachenjunga Stadium, Siliguri
Date & Time: February 12 (Sunday); 4:30pm IST
TV channel: Ten 2 channel
Live Streaming: Ten Sports
Source: Zee News