I-League 2017: Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, 5 Talking Points

With both teams drawing their first match and Shillong Lajong off to a bright start, the two Kolkata big boys had much ground to gain in this I-League's first Kolkata Derby of te season.

It was Mohun Bagan who emerged 1-0 winners playing as the home side today, a first-half goal from their centre-back Kingsley Eze making the difference. East Bengal had more possession and much more of the attacks in the second half as Bagan opted to sit back and soak up the pressure. However, they couldn't find the breakthrough and continued their struggles against Bagan in this fixture.

Here's what stood out from the game:

#1 Mehtab wins the race to the first yellow

In a clash such as this, emotions are always high as the voices of the passionate fans in the stadium does get the adrenaline going. Matches in the Kolkata derby are always heated and it's usually a game within a game to see who gets the first yellow card and how the referee, in general, officiates the game.

Today it was East Bengal's Mehtab Singh who received the first yellow of the match in the 14th minute. Funnily enough, his teammate Gurwinder Singh and Mohun Bagan's Dipanda Dicka were engaged in a shoving match, not too far from Mehtab, but escaped punishment.

After the yellow, Mehtab soon found his Kolkata derby appearance prematurely ended when he was subbed off just minutes later.

East Bengal won the yellow card battle three to two.