Mohun Bagan 1 - 0 East Bengal FC | Durand Cup Derby Review

bySREYAS MUKHERJEE -

Mohun Bagan victorious in Durand Cup Opener Derby at VYBK


Chingri triumphed over Ilish once again as the Mariners begin their season in style under their newly appointed coach after defeating the newly crowned ISL champions, East Bengal, in the first derby of the season in the legendary Durand Cup on Saturday at the Vivekananda Yuvabharati Krirangan in Salt Lake. This victory serves as sweet revenge after losing out on the ISL title on goal difference. The win will greatly boost the squad’s confidence ahead of the upcoming matches and could play a crucial role in their pursuit of a record 18th title in Asia's oldest tournament.

LINEUPS AND SUBSTITUTION LISTS

Mohun Bagan SG (4-3-3) : Vishal Kaith (GK), Tekcham Abhishek Singh - Rahul Bheke - Mehtab Singh - Subhasish Bose (C), Lalengmawia Ralte - Anirudh Thapa - Sahal Abdul Samad, Liston Colaco - Manvir Singh - Kiyan Nassiri.
Coach : Panagiotis Dilmperis.
Assistant Coach : Konstantinos Katsaras.
Substitutes for Mohun Bagan SG : Sayan Banerjee, Abhishek Suryavanshi, Alberto Rodriguez, Deepak Tangri, Syed Zahid Bukhari (GK), Dippendu Biswas, Alex Saji, Robilal Mandi, Dejan Drazic, Suhail Bhat.



East Bengal FC (4-3-3) : Gill (GK), Jay Gupta - Anwar Ali (C) - Lalchungnunga - Sandip Mandi, Jeakson Singh - Rohit Kumar - Edmund Lalrindika, Rohit Danu - David Lalhlansanga - Bipin Singh.
Coach : Antonio Lopez Habas.
Substitutes for East Bengal FC : Purba Lachenpa (GK), Hardik Bhatt, Vishnu P.V., Daniel Ramirez Fernandez, Jesin TK Thonikkara, Souvik Chakrabarti, Lalramsanga, Mohamad Basim Rashid, Mark Zothanpuia, Gourab Shaw (GK).

Match Review

The Mariners kicked off Asia’s greatest rivalry. The first quarter of the game was completely in control of the Mariners, where they launched a volley of attacks with quick forward transitions. Bagan controlled the lion’s share of possession and even got a good chance to score in the 18th minute via Sahal but his shot was deflected early and hence, saved easily. Bipin also got two half-chances in the 20th and 22nd minute but it didn’t pose trouble in the box. A handball appeal on Jeakson’s out-stretched arm was also made in the 23rd minute which stopped Sahal’s shot right in front of the goal but the referee didn’t blow the whistle. A yellow card and penalty decision was not given by the referee.

Sahal also got a golden chance in the 34th minute, where he made good of Tekcham’s through pass and penetrated into the box, but the final shot hit the side nets. Mohun Bagan kept the pressure on and got a freekick at the very end of the half but failed to score. The first half ended 0-0.



East Bengal kicked off the proceedings in the 2nd Half. The stands roared in unison ‘Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan’. Finally came the moment everyone was waiting for! Kiyan broke through with the ball into the box, and set in a cheeky cut back for Manvir. The tall Mariner held off a defender and let the ball pass through his legs for Sahal, who arrived at the right time, in the right place, to slot it into the empty net.



Upon scoring in 52nd minute, the deadlock was finally broken and it was 1-0 for the Mariners. The 12th Man in the stands of the stadium erupted in jubilation while the East Bengal half looked on in despair. East Bengal tried to come back by bringing on Ramirez and Rashid on the field. In the last 20 minutes, East Bengal created many pressure situations but very few real chances were created. in the 78th minute, Ramirez hit the post from Vishnu’s cross. 8 minutes later, Rashid also made another attempt on goal that went whizzing above the post. In added time, a brilliant floater was sent deep and Vishal stepped up, denying Rashid a scoring chance, with an excellent diving save!

The final whistle blew and it was full time with Mohun Bagan pulling yet another historic win against their arch rivals, and thus, painting the City of Joy Green and Maroon!



Final Remarks

From a performance standpoint, the team looked decent, though there were a few inconsistent phases. It wasn’t the dominant display we usually expect from Mohun Bagan, but it was enough to get the job done convincingly. It naturally takes time for a team to settle under a new coach and build chemistry with new players.

Considering it was the first senior team match of the 2026-27 season, the overall performance was quite encouraging! With the expected arrivals of Maclaren, Samir, Miguel, and others, Dilmperis’ team appears to be shaping up for a strong season ahead. Bagan will face South United F.C. and CISF Protectors on the 4th and 10th of August, respectively. Following their victory over East Bengal in Durand Cup Derby, Mariners sail off on an excellent start to the new season.

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SREYAS MUKHERJEE

HELLO GUYS, MYSELF SREYAS,A STUDENT,SPORTS LOVER AND A SCIENCE GEEK.I WRITE REGULAR ARTICLES AND BLOGS.HOPE THESE ARE WILL BE HELPFUL FOR YOU AND YOU FIND THESE INFORMATIVE.PLEASE SHARE YOUR OPINIONS IN THE COMMENTS.THANK YOU.

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