Jamie Maclaren scored in his first-ever Kolkata derby, while Dimitri Petratos added the finishing touch as Mohun Bagan secured a commanding 2-0 victory over East Bengal FC in front of a packed 59,000-capacity crowd.
Anwar Ali’s debut in the Kolkata derby as an East Bengal player, having previously represented their great rivals, added an extra layer of intrigue to the clash. The defender faced constant boos from his former team’s fans with every touch. Despite East Bengal’s desperate search for their first points in this ISL season, it was Mohun Bagan who dominated, delivering a convincing display to rout their arch-rivals.
From the outset, Bagan showed intent, taking control of the midfield and creating attacks from the wings. They relentlessly tested East Bengal’s defence. In the 17th minute, Maclaren nearly scored when Greg Stewart sent a curling cross into the box, but Prabhsukhan Gill pulled off a brilliant save. Seven minutes later, Gill once again came to East Bengal’s rescue, stopping Manvir Singh’s header from close range.
Stewart, who was at the heart of Mohun Bagan’s attacks, caused all sorts of problems for East Bengal by finding pockets of space and linking up well with Manvir and Liston Colaco on the flanks.
The breakthrough finally came in the 41st minute when Maclaren broke the deadlock with a superb near-post finish. Manvir sent in a low cross after a sharp run into the box, and Maclaren made no mistake, sending the Mohun Bagan fans into raptures.
Just three minutes into the second half, Colaco whipped in a cross from the left that Maclaren couldn’t reach, but Manvir followed up, only to squander the opportunity.
Mohun Bagan continued to dominate, while East Bengal’s response was limited, even after coach Oscar Bruzon introduced PV Vishnu and Dimitrios Diamantakos in the second half. Despite the changes, East Bengal struggled to pose a real threat in the final third.
In the 70th minute, Mohun Bagan substituted Maclaren with Petratos, seeking to close out the game with an insurance goal. Their persistence paid off in the 88th minute when Petratos earned a penalty after being fouled by Gill inside the box.
He calmly converted the spot kick himself, sending Gill the wrong way to seal the game 2-0 for the Mariners, and cap a dominant performance.