Kolkata Der: Wonder goal from Nandhakumar helps East Bengal pip Mohun Bagan after 4 years | Football News

East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan on Saturday to break the duck of eight der defeats at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata. Nandhakumar Sekar scored the only goal of the match that turned out to be a match-winner. Mohun Bagan were termed favourites before the start, but East Bengal were the ones who put in the hard yards, closing the wide areas and half space and emerging with a win. For the red and gold fans, it was a taste of victory in a Kolkata Der after 1659 days, and judging the celebrations at the ground, they will definitely go long into the night. For the Mariners, it was a reality check before their AFC Cup qualifier.

After 90 mins of an epic clash, @eastbengal_fc take the bragging rights!#IndianOilDurandCup #DurandCup2023 #132ndEditionofDurandCup #DurandCupPoweredCoalIndiaLtd #IndianFootball #IndianFootballForwardTogether #ManyChampionsOneLegacy #MBSGEEBFC pic.twitter.com/cgyeamhbVG
— Durand Cup (@thedurandcup) August 12, 2023
Mehtab Hossain, who played ten seasons for East Bengal, was mighty impressed East Bengal’s hard work and said that what East Bengal did right was remain well-organised. “I had said before that they must not allow space behind defenders. Whatever the system, compactness in midfield was critical for East Bengal. And they did just that for 96 mins. I am mighty impressed Nandakumar’s finish,” Hossain told The Indian Express.
“Coach Cuadrat showed that he is an excellent coach. He understands Indian football and the emotion of Der, and that worked well for East Bengal,” he added.
Hossain also had a word of praise for veteran Harmanjot Singh Khabra. ” He is 35, but age does not seem to have caught up with him. He still seems young,” he further added.
However, Hossain was critical of the Australian World Cupper Jason Cumming’s performance and said, ” He did not seem fit enough. Just because he has played in the World Cup does not mean he can land on the ground. He needs to show his prowess on the field. He needs to prove a point.”
The season’s first Kolkata Der began amidst a festive fervour, with Mohun Bagan and East Bengal locking horns. However, what caught the eye before the first whle was the large number of empty seats at the Salt Lake Stadium – something that one cannot associate with the ‘boro match’ ( big match ).
With a Spanish flavour and a Barcelona link in both the teams in the form of head coaches Carles Cuadrat for EBFC and Juan Ferrando for MBSG, this game was only the third time when the two teams had Spanish coaches in charge.
Cagey first half
Mohun Bagan began on the offensive with three changes from its previous game and a 4-4-2 formation. Albanian Armando Sadiku had the first attacking shot from outside the box in the first minute, but the ball whizzed past the goal.
East Bengal, which also had a similar shape, were led Borja Gonzalez and Javier Siverio Torro leading the attack.
While the Mariners tried to play long balls and pump in crosses into the box early on, EBFC defence denied space and held their shape. East Bengal took a very conservative approach early on, staying in their own half and not pressing.
East Bengal finally had a chance in the 18th minute when Naorem Mahesh went past the Bagan defender and crossed it for Siverio, who shot on target. Still, a timely interception from Brendan Hamill denied East Bengal an opening goal. The combination play between Naorem, and Siverio, showcased the potential of East Bengal’s attack, but at halftime, both sides were locked 0-0 despite coming close to scoring on multiple occasions. Despite enjoying 57 per cent of the possession in the first 45 mins, Mohun Bagan did not get a shot on target.
A wonder goal Nandhakumar Sekar
The second half began with the teams making changes to their side. Jason Cummings and Dimitri Petratos come in for MBSG. Cummings had played for Australia in the FIFA World Cup against Argentina in Qatar.
But against the run of play at the hour mark, it was der debutant Nandhakumar who struck with his left foot to put East Bengal in the lead. It was a great run Nandha as he skipped past Aniruddh Thapa and unleashed a curler which slotted home at the second post. It was a great counter-attacking move as Sekar ran down the right and then found the back of the net.

Banger from Nandha Kumar 🔥#DurandCup2023#KolkataDer pic.twitter.com/f56Q4XQ9QZ
— 🦅 (@fatbatman08) August 12, 2023
Who is Nandhakumar Sekar ?
Sekar had a phenomenal run with Odisha FC last season, playing a vital role in their set up. 27-year-old Sekar featured in 95 percent of Odisha’s matches last season and finished with 15+ goal contributions, including 11 goals across all competitions. He signed a three-year contract with EBFC this year. His inspired performances earned him a call up to the senior Indian national team this year.