Looking back at past Kolkata derbies in ISL era

Both Mohun Bagan and East Bengal are strong favorites in this contest.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant are set to face off against arch-rivals East Bengal FC in the first Kolkata derby of the 2024-25 Indian Super League (ISL) season. Neither of the two teams have had the best start to the season. The Mariners have won just two of their four matches so far, but the Red & Gold Brigade have a progressively worse start by losing all four matches.

That is what makes this upcoming derby a must-win for either side. Mohun Bagan needs the three points to kick on towards their ISL league championship title hunt. East Bengal desperately needs a win to get out of this rut and start their daunting journey towards a playoff spot. This match will also be the ninth occasion where these two Kolkata heavyweights lock horns in the ISL.

Of course, the Mariners boast the better record in the ISL Kolkata derbies over the last four years or so. But there have been several thrilling encounters that have added more glamour to the ISL as a whole. Here we look back at all the Kolkata derbies of the ISL era so far.

East Bengal 0-2 Mohun Bagan (27 November, 2020)

The first-ever Kolkata derby in the ISL happened in an empty stadium during the Covid-19-impacted 2020-21 campaign. The Mariners (still ATK Mohun Bagan then) and the Red & Gold Brigade had to fight it out in Goa in what was an entertaining but relatively easy outing for the Mariners.

After the two sides canceled each other out in the first half, Roy Krishna became the first goal-scorer in an ISL derby with a well-taken goal in the 49th minute. Manvir Singh would finish off a nice counter-attack in the 85th minute to seal bragging rights for the Mariners.

Mohun Bagan 3-1 East Bengal (19 February 2021)

The second Kolkata derby of the 2020-21 campaign was probably a bit more competitive and eventful than the last. Antonio Habas’ side began the game in blistering fashion with Roy Krishna converting nicely to put his side in the lead in the 15th minute. But East Bengal started showing some attacking drive and had some help from lady luck, as they equalized in the 43rd minute through Tiri’s own goal.

But Krishna was not one to let the game get away. He kept fighting hard and turned provider for two goals in the second half, first David Williams (72’) and Javi Hernandez (89’) to help the Mariners get a compelling win.

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East Bengal 0-3 Mohun Bagan (27 November, 2021)

East Bengal began the 2021-22 ISL season with hope for a better campaign after making an overwhelming change to their squad earlier this summer. But they were no match for Mohun Bagan’s might in the first derby of that campaign. Mohun Bagan were ruthless in the first half-hour of the match and capitalized on East Bengal’s defensive frailties with a blistering display.

Roy Krishna (12’) opened the scoring before Manvir Singh produced a nice finish to make it 2-0 two minutes later. Liston Colaco made it 3-0 in the 23rd minute, ending the game there itself. East Bengal went into preservation mode to deny more goals while Mohun Bagan also lowered their intensity after the first half. Despite that, this 3-0 result remains the biggest margin of a win by Mohun Bagan against East Bengal in the ISL so far.

Mohun Bagan 3-1 East Bengal (29 January 2022)

After getting a huge win over East Bengal in the first derby, Mohun Bagan faced a fired-up Red & Gold Brigade in their reverse fixture. East Bengal were defensively much more secure and looked sharp in the transitions too. They stunned the Mariners by taking the lead in the 56th minute through midfielder Darren Sidoel. Up until the hour-mark, it looked like East Bengal would finally get their first win in the ISL over their rivals.

But then, Kiran Nassiri happened. The youngster was brought on by Juan Ferrando to add more unpredictability to the attack and did so in style. Nassiri scored a nice equalizer from close range in the 64th minute.

With the game heading towards a draw into the stoppage time, Nassiri produced a masterful finish to make it 2-1 in the 93rd minute. A minute after that, he completed his hat-trick with a brilliant goal – becoming the youngest player to score a hat-trick in Kolkata derby history.

Mohun Bagan 2-0 East Bengal (29 November, 2022)

The first ISL Kolkata derby to take place in front of a packed Salt Lake Stadium crowd was at the start of the 2022-23 season. On 29 November 2022 – the Mariners and the Red & Gold Brigade lined up in front of a fiery atmosphere in the iconic stadium. The first half was a bit of a brittle affair, with both teams canceling each other out.

Then in the 56th minute, Manvir Singh sent the Mohun Bagan faithful into a frenzy with a clever goal to put his side ahead. Hugo Boumous made it 2-0 nine minutes later and the Mariners held onto their first win in front of their home faithful in an ISL Kolkata derby.

East Bengal 0-2 Mohun Bagan (25 February 2023)

East Bengal’s ‘home edition’ of the 2022-23 ISL Kolkata derby saw them in the hunt for three points to make up for what had been an underwhelming campaign. But the Red & Gold Brigade were just not good enough in the attacking front and tried their best to hold off the Mariners as much as possible.

But defender Slavko Damjanovic scored from a set-piece in the 68th minute to open the score, before Dimitri Petratos scored a second in the 90th minute to help his side do their third straight ISL double over East Bengal.

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Mohun Bagan 2-2 East Bengal (3 February 2024)

The first ISL Kolkata derby of the 2023-24 had to be postponed due to certain schedule issues and happened as late as February 3, 2024. This was a special one for the Mariners as it was their first ISL derby after being rebranded as Mohun Bagan Super Giant. But it wasn’t exactly as easy as the previous derby had been. East Bengal took a surprise lead in the 3rd minute through a decisive Ajay Chhetri goal, but Armando Sadiku scored the equalizer in the 14th minute.

East Bengal began the second half energetically and received a penalty early on, which Cleiton Silva scored in the 55th minute. It looked like East Bengal would get their first ISL derby win over their rivals, as they played well and defended nicely.

But then, Dimitri Petratos saved his side with an equalizer in the 87th minute in a rather controversial fashion as an apparent foul happened before that. Despite that, it ended up being the first draw between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal in the ISL.

East Bengal 1-3 Mohun Bagan (10 March, 2024)

Just over a month after that eventful Kolkata derby, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan faced off in the reverse fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium. But this time, Antonio Habas’ side proved their quality with a prolific first-half display. They took the lead through Jason Cummings’s clinical strike in the 27th minute before Liston Colaco also scored nine minutes later.

Dimitri Petratos made it 3-0 before half-time, with the game more or less over. East Bengal showed some nice fights in the second half as Saul Crespo scored a brilliant goal in the 53rd minute, but the Red & Gold Brigade couldn’t convert any more chances and fell to another loss to Mohun Bagan in the ISL.

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