Reported By: Ritayan Basu
Last Updated: September 03, 2023, 18:32 IST
Durand Cup 2023: Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 1-0 in the Kolkata derby (X)
Dimitrios Petratos scored the only goal as 10-man Mohun Bagan SG defeated East Bengal FC to win the 132nd Durand Cup.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant defeated Emami East Bengal 1-0 in the final to win the 132nd Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (VYBK) in Kolkata on Sunday.
Dimitrios Petratos scored the only goal of the match in the 71st minute to help Mohun Bagan win their 17th Durand Cup, and after 23 years, and edged East Bengal for the most Durand Cup wins.
Talk of revenge and murmurs of resurgence filled the air outside the Saltlake Stadium as fans snaked their way inside.
As the kick-off time edged closer, anticipation for a humdinger grew across the centre line.
Harmanjot Khabra and Subhasish Bose shook hands before the pleasantries of the occasion and then came the first kick of the game.
The action was end-to-end almost immediately with either team looking to not give an inch. Mohun Bagan SG much more eager to take hold of the ball and make things happen with East Bengal FC happier to pin their hopes on the counter.
Given the dance of attack and counter, Subhasish had got into a tussle for the ball with Siverio despite the ball going out of play. The two player’s disdain for decorum rubbed off on their teammates. Tackles and challenges followed. Every move was a chance to leave a footprint or get a nibble off the feet.
In the 45th minute, Saul Crespo purposefully brought down Armando Sadiku to stop a counter. In response, Boumous shoved Crespo in the face. The referee, in turn, was forced to produce his first card on the night. Three in fact, to Crespo, Boumous and Borja Herrera.
Soon after Anirudh Thapa brought down Siverio and was promptly shown a yellow card.
The chances were far and few in between.
Khabra combined well with Mohamad Rakip down East Bengal’s right as they set up Mahesh but his effort was cleared by Mohun Bagan in the 24th minute.
Rakip combined with Borja Herrera in the 44th, with the latter sending in a cross for Javier Siverio. The ball was cleared only till NandhaKumar but his volley from some distance was well over.
Sahal Abdul Samad, from the edge of the penalty box, passed it on for Dimitrios Petratos. The Aussie forward’s effort fizzed just over.
After the restart, the cards did not stop.
In the 56th minute, Sadiku and Borja were tussling for the ball near the East Bengal dugout and as the referee blew his whistle for a foul, Carles Cudrats’ protests did not go down well with him. Yellow was flashed.
Come the 62nd, Mohun Bagan were down to 10. Thapa’s high boot on Siverio’s forehead forced the referee to show him a second yellow and then red.
The numbers game did not matter to Juan Ferrando’s men.
In the 71st minute, Mohun Bagan got the lead from a sublime piece of magic from Petratos.
Petratos carried the ball almost the entire length of the field and as the East Bengal defenders backed off, he took a left-footed shot from outside the box. Prabhsukhan Gill did not have a chance.
East Bengal tried everything. It did not matter once Mohun Bagan predictively made defensive-minded substitutions.
There was another red card in the closing moments of the match, East Bengal assistant coach Dimas Delgado was given his marching orders for arguing with the referee. Vishal Kaith too got a yellow.
In the end, the only colours that mattered were ‘Green and Maroon’.
