I-League 2016/17: Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, 5 Talking Points
The biggest and the most-hyped game in Indian football lived up to its reputation as Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 2-1 in a nerve-jangling Kolkata Derby at the Kanchenjungha Stadium in Siliguri on Sunday. Goals from Sony Norde and Azhar Mallick saw the Mariners go 2-0 up before half time, but Rowllin Borges managed to get one back in the 92nd minute to set up for a tense final few minutes.
However, it proved to be too little too late as Mohun Bagan managed to beat their eternal rivals for the first time in 743 days in front of 30,000 fans.
Here are the 5 things that we learnt from the game:
#1 Sony Norde is a footballing genius
Before the game, Sony Norde had been called out by several fans and pundits about his inability to express himself in the big games. In fact, the Haitian was so desperate to prove himself for this game that he used to take longer training sessions than the rest of the team.
As such, all his practice paid dividends as he not only influenced the game but also scored the crucial opening goal, which was a cracking free kick from 35 yards out. He was instrumental in almost every attack that Mohun Bagan put together, and was rightly adjudged as the “Hero Of The Match”.
With a performance like this, Norde has not only shut up his detractors but also given his coach Sanjoy Sen hope that they might just make it all the way again.