4 turning points in Sunday's Kolkata Derby

In what was expected to be a breath-taking match, ended as a one-sided affair, where East Bengal thumped Mohun Bagan by edging four goals past a hapless Shilton Paul. East Bengal have now created a record by winning the Calcutta Football League (CFL) for the sixth time in a row, a feat which they have done similarly in the early 1970’s.The Red and Gold brigade were on the brink of winning the ‘Hexa’ before the Kolkata Derby on Sunday, but a league win cannot be and should not be completed without a win against their arch rivals. So, East Bengal’s coach Biswajit Bhattacharya told his side to finish it off in style.On the other hand, Mohun Bagan’s hopes of winning the domestic league have already been dented with a poor performance from the players, which saw the Mariners toiling at the third place with 11 points from six matches (before the Derby and except Mohun Bagan vs Tollygunge match). A win in the Derby would have meant a black spot in their arch rivals’ triumph. However, little could they think about their fate?Here are the main talking points about the game:

#1 Do Dong Hyun\'s superb display

Do Dong has been an exceptional buy for East Bengal

The unstoppable South Korean was possibly the main threat for the Green and Maroon’s before the Derby. To stop him, Mohun Bagan coach Sanjay Sen appointed big Haitian Judelin Aveska. But little could he know his player will make so many mistakes. When the match was only 80 seconds old, Judelin committed the first mistake by fouling Md Rafique about 35 yards from goal.

Hyun quickly took the chance and scored directly with a sublime free-kick. He did the same 36 minutes later when East Bengal got another free kick just outside the box. The second set piece was a copy of the first. People have seen Lionel Messi scoring from a curling free kicks. But for a few minutes, East Bengal supporters thought Messi might have been playing for the Red and Golds.

Such was the display of the South Korean on the field. He may not have played to his full potential in the entire match, but by then, he had already proved his dream of scoring in his first derby and showed what he is capable of.

#2 Strategic error by Sanjoy Sen

Sanjoy Sen made a tactical error by leaving Yusa on the bench

Before the match, Mohun Bagan Sanjay Sen said he could field big Haitian Judelin Aveska to stop Korean midfielder Do Dong. He also chalked out a formation including Nigerian striker Dudu, which meant their fast running midfielder Katsumi Yusa would have to be sidelined. Sanjay executed the same, but unfortunately, it was Aveska who made the first mistake. Throughout the match, his contribution was nothing except a volley in East Bengal box, which lacked power and Luis Barreto easily grabbed it.

Secondly, the absence of Katsumi Yusa was starkly visible in the first half. Katsumi, who has a quick run, is the main supply line behind Mohun Bagan’s all attack. Being a prolific winger, Katsumi knows when and how to run to keep the opponent’s defence busy. But with his absence, Dudu was not getting enough passes in the first half. The lone cross which he got from Tirthankar Sarkar, was wasted brutally.

Thirdly, Sanjay’s inexperienced midfield showed poor performance. The coach was hugely depended upon midfield maestro Lalkamal Bhowmick. But after conceding two goals, Lalkamal couldn’t hold his emotion and was guilty of repeatedly losing his temper, which resulted a yellow card (he later got the second after pushing referee in the tunnel after the match was over).

#3 Dudu\'s red card

Dudu’s sending off early in the second half left the Marriners a huge mountain to climb

After the CFL had started, Mohun Bagan stumbled in the first two matches. The absence of a prolific striker was largely seen on the field, as U-23 player, Azharuddin Mallik was not capable of leading the line for the Mariners. The likes of Pankaj Moula or Manish Bhargav were also not a handy option.

So Mohun Bagan roped in Dudu, who scored seven goals so far. Dudu, who was rejected by East Bengal for his lacklustre performance in I-League, was eager to give the due back to his former club. However, he did not get enough passes from the midfield. At his age, the chances of scoring a solo goal were also looked bleak.

Losing his temper, he got a booking for fouling Md Rafique. In the second half, when Sanjay brought Katsumi to supply ball to Dudu, he committed another foul and got a booking for the second time. As a result, the teary Nigerian marched off the field and Mohun Bagan’s hopes of bringing parity in the game completely dashed.

#4 East Bengal\'s team spirit

East Bengal’s team spirit played an important part in the CFL triumph

Due to financial crunch, Mohun Bagan had asked all the big players to join the team before the I-League, which is scheduled to start from January. So the likes of Sony Norde, Balwant Singh, Jeje Lalpekhlua had no option but to engage with their personal work. While Sony is practicing with his ISL team Mumbai City FC, Balwant and Jeje are with the Indian national camp in Bangalore to face Iran in their World Cup qualifier match.

So, Bagan coach Sanjay Sen had no option but to field as many as eight players, who have never played a Derby. The result was a quite expected outcome as the newcomers failed to hold their nerve couldn’t deliver.

On the other hand, East Bengal are holding the same team years after years. The players have got a good understanding between them. Notable national players like Mehtab Hossain, Robert Lalramthuana, Gurwinder Singh, Saumik Dey, Harmanjot Singh Khabra and Arnab Mondal (not played the Derby match because of national duty) have played their part nicely and have a good rapport between them.

It resulted in their triumph in the Derby, where they completely outplayed the inexperienced Green and Maroon side of Bengal.