East Bengal, who started with an all-Bengal playing XI, rallied to hold Mohun Bagan Super Giant 1-1 in the CFL Premier Division derby at the packed Barasat Stadium on Monday.
East Bengal thus finished their matches at the top of Group A by logging 27 points from 11 matches. Bhawanipore FC have equal points but are second on goal difference. Bagan came third with 23 points. All three have made it to the Super Six.
East Bengal thus remain unbeaten in CFL derby for 12 years.
East Bengal were clearly the better side in the second half launching a series of attacks and were unlucky not to convert any of the opportunities. Bagan too had their moments but those were few and far between.
Bagan started with ‘big names’ like Rahul Bheke, Mehtab Singh, Subhasish Bose, Lalengmawia ‘Apuia’ Ralte, Manvir Singh and Sahal Abdul Samad.
East Bengal, on the other hand, kept faith in their reserves who had featured in the 10 matches before the ‘big’ clash.
The likes of Manotosh Chakladar, Ankan Bhattacharjee, Akash Hemram, Bijay Murmu, Mohamed Bilal and goalkeeper Gourav Shaw played their hearts out.
Not for once did they look overawed by the Bagan stars who were fielded in the hope of avenging the 4-1 defeat East Bengal inflicted on their arch-rivals in the Durand Cup final on August 23.
After the final whistle, Bagan fans fell silent, while their East Bengal counterparts were in a joyous mood.
“We were brilliant in the second half. All credit to the boys,” East Bengal’s reserve team’s assistant coach Archisman Biswas beamed after the match.
The result could also see the end of Bastab Roy as Bagan’s assistant coach. The team management was not happy with the way Roy marshalled his resources during the ongoing league. Whether a title win would save his job remains to be seen.
To be fair to Roy, it was head coach Panagiotis Dilberis who called the shots in the build-up to the derby.
Bagan stars still do not look fit enough to last 90 minutes and the slushy conditions made life more miserable for them. It’s surprising that even after 45 days of pre-season, Bagan seniors still do not seem to have that zing.
East Bengal’s young brigade looked much fitter and energetic and showed intent, particularly in the second half.
Coach Biswas’s decision to bring in Bilal in the 54th minute changed the dynamics of the match. The red-and-gold brigade were all over Bagan from then on.
First, Bijay Murmu shot wide from close, then Jay Baz’s header hit the horizontal.
As the stadium sensed that a goal could come anytime, Murmu floated in a corner from the left. Bilal, 21, headed it in style leaving Bheke and Mehtab Singh in their wake.
East Bengal should blame themselves for the goal conceded.