"Past Bengal, can't beat part-time footballers team" - Fans stunned by East Bengal's bottle job against Bangladesh Army in their Durand Cup opener

East Bengal threw away a decisive two-goal advantage to draw 2-2 against Bangladesh Army in their Durand Cup opener at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday, August 6. While Saul Crespo converted from the spot in the 33rd minute, Javi Siverio gave them a safe cushion in the 49th.

Despite being on top of the game throughout, the Torchbearers succumbed to pressure and bottled the game in its dying stages. Bangladesh Army came back strongly with goals first in the 88th minute and then in the sixth minute of stoppage time, seconds before the final whistle was blown, to salvage a point for themselves.

East Bengal will see this as losing two points instead of gaining one. Their supporters, often the most raucous and vociferous in the country, were, quite naturally, not pleased.

They had a fair go at their defenders Harmanjot Singh Khabra, whose short pass led to the Bangladesh Army equalizer in the dying stages of the game, and Nishu Kumar, who got sent off in the 67th minute due to an elbow off the ball.

Australian Jordan Elsey, who came on in the 88th minute and was rusty beyond measure, was criticized as well, but very few supporters managed to overlook the fact that he had merely arrived in Kolkata on Saturday night only.

In this article, we bring to you some of the choicest reactions the supporters of East Bengal as well as other clubs on Twitter had to this lowly showing of theirs:

@eastbengal_fc Haha let's laugh at past bengal..can't even beat part time footballers team 😭😭😭

@eastbengal_fc Please field the 2nd team from next match

@eastbengal_fc Last bengal doing what they know coming last 😭🤣😭🤣

@eastbengal_fc Bad start of the season. Repeat of the last season, team collapse after 70 mins.
ইস্টবেঙ্গল আছে ইস্টবেঙ্গলেই।
ভারারে টান থাকলে যা হয় আরকি ।

@eastbengal_fc Last year it was Sumit Passi. This year it is Jordan Elsey. We are wondering how the East Bengal Recruiters find these gems who will make the team suffer the whole season !!!

With the Kolkata derby - perhaps the biggest match in the Indian calendar - merely a week away on Saturday, August 12, a lot of Mohun Bagan supporters were seen taunting their cross-town rivals.

As was expected, fans of the defending champions of the ISL were feeling on top of the world seeing East Bengal throw away their advantage against Bangladesh Army. Here's what they tweeted:

@eastbengal_fc Thank you Jordan. Keep helping mohun bagan 💚♥️

Ultimate relief as Bangladesh Army scores their 2nd goal!

𝐄𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐁𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐚𝐥 𝐑𝐮𝐥𝐞 𝐜𝐨𝐧𝐭𝐢𝐧𝐮𝐞𝐬 - Every year, different players, but the same outcome.

#DurandCup2023 #DurandCup #EEBFCBAFT #IndianFootball pic.twitter.com/y6Cn6leeLO

@eastbengal_fc 12 tarik 😈 pic.twitter.com/iMrE6drWCP

@eastbengal_fc @shubh18264 MB gonna Eat Them Using Their Reserve Team Bhay

Kolkata Derby looks extremely well-poised

While Mohun Bagan beat Bangladesh Army by a 5-0 scoreline in the opening fixture of this season's Durand Cup, East Bengal threw away a two-goal advantage to draw with the same opponents by the end of the game.

The derby between the two Kolkata giants, to be played at the Salt Lake Stadium in the same city, will definitely see the Mariners thrive on the confidence they got by thrashing their opponents in the previous game. East Bengal, meanwhile, will hope that this was a one-off showing and that they can regroup before the 'Boro Match' or Big Match.