Mohun Bagan Super Giants won 1-0 in the Kolkata Derby in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Saturday. Defeating East Bengal FC extended their dominance.
Jamie Maclaren scored the fastest goal of the ISL Kolkata derby and it was enough for the defending champions to beat their arch-rivals and move eight points clear of second-placed Bengaluru at the top of the table (35 points ) Football Club (27). Mariners have so far registered nine wins and one draw in 10 Kolkata derby matches against EBFC in the ISL.
The Mariners started strong, with McLaren taking the lead in the second minute. The EBFC backline was caught off guard when Asish Rai’s long ball found Maclaren in space. After receiving the ball, he lost his marking and passed the ball to the onrushing Prabhusuhan Gill without any difficulty.
Around the 6th minute, it was EBFC’s turn to attack and had two great chances to equalize the score through PV Vishnu and Cleiton Silva. However, neither player was clinical enough as they saw their attempts blocked.
The Mariners almost doubled their lead in the 21st minute when McClaren found Manvir Singh for a cross. However, the latter’s shot was directed at Gill and the entire goal was empty.
Towards the end of the first half, EBFC were riding high with players like Jeakson Singh, Vishnu and Cleiton picking up the ball in the final third, causing problems for the Mohun Bagan Super Giant backline. However, they were not clinical enough to end the first half in a draw.
When It Happened | Mohun Bagan SG VS East Bengal FC Highlights, ISL 2024-25
The second half was a very cagey affair with the Mariners enjoying most of the possession, but they were unable to break down EBFC’s resolute defence. And Oscar Bruzon’s men will look to hit the Mariners with a gritty counterattack. But there weren’t many noteworthy chances in the first quarter of the second half.
Things took a dramatic turn in the 64th minute when Surik Chakrabarty brought down Liston Colaco near the penalty area and received his second yellow card before being sent off. Trailing by a goal, EBFC now chased the game with 10 men.
In the 75th minute, Jose Molina refreshed the situation and replaced Jason Cummings with Greg Stewart. He made an almost immediate impact when he released Liston on the left wing, but his subsequent shot was blocked by Gill.
As in the first half, EBFC dominated the final 10 minutes of the second half, with the likes of Dimitrios Petratos and Deepak Tangri coming on late in the game. Hoping to end the game.
The red and gold pushed their body forward in the final minutes of the game, but they lacked the ability to break down the Mariners defense in the final third as they continued a near-perfect record in the contest.
