4 turning points in Sunday's Kolkata Derby
In what was expected to be a breath-taking match, ended as a one-sided affair, where East Bengal thumped Mohun Bagan by edging four goals past a hapless Shilton Paul. East Bengal have now created a record by winning the Calcutta Football League (CFL) for the sixth time in a row, a feat which they have done similarly in the early 1970’s.The Red and Gold brigade were on the brink of winning the ‘Hexa’ before the Kolkata Derby on Sunday, but a league win cannot be and should not be completed without a win against their arch rivals. So, East Bengal’s coach Biswajit Bhattacharya told his side to finish it off in style.On the other hand, Mohun Bagan’s hopes of winning the domestic league have already been dented with a poor performance from the players, which saw the Mariners toiling at the third place with 11 points from six matches (before the Derby and except Mohun Bagan vs Tollygunge match). A win in the Derby would have meant a black spot in their arch rivals’ triumph. However, little could they think about their fate?Here are the main talking points about the game:
#1 Do Dong Hyun\'s superb display
The unstoppable South Korean was possibly the main threat for the Green and Maroon’s before the Derby. To stop him, Mohun Bagan coach Sanjay Sen appointed big Haitian Judelin Aveska. But little could he know his player will make so many mistakes. When the match was only 80 seconds old, Judelin committed the first mistake by fouling Md Rafique about 35 yards from goal.
Hyun quickly took the chance and scored directly with a sublime free-kick. He did the same 36 minutes later when East Bengal got another free kick just outside the box. The second set piece was a copy of the first. People have seen Lionel Messi scoring from a curling free kicks. But for a few minutes, East Bengal supporters thought Messi might have been playing for the Red and Golds.
Such was the display of the South Korean on the field. He may not have played to his full potential in the entire match, but by then, he had already proved his dream of scoring in his first derby and showed what he is capable of.