East Bengal have emerged victorious in the first Calcutta Football League derby of the season, defeating Mohun Bagan 2-1 in the Kolkata derby. The Torch Bearers finished the game with ten men, as Justin Joseph was sent off in the 77th minute.
PV Vishnu opened the scoring for his side shortly into the second half, while Jesin Thonikkara doubled his side’s lead 65 minutes into the game. East Bengal looked set to add more goals, but severely lacked composure in front of goal.
East Bengal win CFL Kolkata derby with 10 men
দেখ কেমন লাগে! 😉#JoyEastBengal #EmamiEastBengal #KolkataDerby pic.twitter.com/8rsKelEflM
— East Bengal FC (@eastbengal_fc) July 13, 2024
This was a special Kolkata derby, as the AIFF has now mandated no foreigners in the CFL. As a result, it was two homegrown squads taking on one another, with more than bragging rights at stake.
Mohun Bagan SG were able to find a way back into the game through a late goal from Suhail Bhat. However, it was too little, too late for them to turn the match around at that stage.
The Red and Golds will need to work on their finishing, as they frequently found themselves in front of goal, but were simply unable to put the ball into the back of the net. And they’ll have to take their chances more frequently to be able to finish high in the CFL.
