Guwahati, Jan 11: Riding on Jamie Maclaren’s record second-minute goal, Mohun Bagan Super Giant extended their dominance in the Kolkata derby with a 1-0 win over traditional rivals East Bengal FC in their Indian Super League match here on Saturday.
The match was moved to the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium after the Bidhannagar Police, under whose jurisdiction the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata falls, cited concerns over inadequate security because of the ongoing Gangasagar Mela.
Jamie Maclaren scored the fastest goal of the Kolkata derby in ISL and it was enough for the reigning champions to see out their arch-rivals, while going eight points clear (35) at the top of the table, compared to the second-placed Bengaluru FC (27).
The Mariners have now won nine times and drawn once in their 10 derby clashes against East Bengal in the ISL.
The Mariners started the game strongly as Maclaren handed them the early lead in the second minute.
The East Bengal backline was caught off-guard as Asish Rai’s long ball found Maclaren in space. After receiving the ball, he lost his marker and slotted it past an onrushing Prabhsukhan Gill without any difficulty.
East Bengal FC gained a lot of momentum as the first half came to a close with the likes of Jeakson Singh, PV Vishnu and Cleiton Silva getting on the ball in the final third and creating problems for the Mohun Bagan backline. However, they weren’t clinical enough to end the first half on level terms.
The second half was extremely cagey with the Mariners enjoying the lion’s share of possession, but they weren’t able to break down East Bengal FC’s resolute defence. .
Things took a drastic turn in the 64th minute when Souvik Chakrabarti brought down Liston Colaco near the penalty area, only to receive his second yellow card followed by subsequent marching orders.
With one goal down, East Bengal FC were now chasing the game with 10 men, but the scoreline remained intact. (PTI)
