Durand Cup final: 10-man Mohun Bagan edge East Bengal in race to the title

Mohun Bagan Super Giants won the Kolkata Derby 1-0 to win the Durand Cup for the record 17th time, thereby pipping their arch-rivals to the coveted title of holder of most Durand Cup trophies

Down to 10 men in the 62nd Minute, no one would have thought that Mohun Bagan Super Giants would walk out of the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, popularly known as the Salt Lake Stadium in the football-mad city of Kolkata.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant take the cup for the 17th time beating their arch rivals in the #132ndEditionofIndianOilDurandCup #IndianOilDurandCupPoweredbyCoalIndia #DurandCup2023 #IndianFootball #IndianFootballForwardTogether #ManyChampionsOneLegacy #Finals #EEBFCMBSG #Champions pic.twitter.com/NJSF37ZfWT

— Durand Cup (@thedurandcup) September 3, 2023

But the unthinkable happened thanks to a brilliant counter-attacking left-footer by Australian Dimitri Petratos that took the deflection of an East Bengal defender and gave no chance for goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Singh Gill.

 

That was in the 71st minute and from there onward, East Bengal went on a maverick round of attacks, but none of them yielded a goal and the match ended in a 1-0 win for the Mariners. With this win, Bagan pipped East Bengal for most title wins in Durand Cup history. Before this win, both the sides had 16 titles each to their name. 

The Wild Celebration from Petratos

While the goal was a masterclass, no doubt, with East Bengal defenders providing ample support by making no tackles at all, what was mind-blowing was the celebration by the Australian.

DIMIIIII SENDS THE CROWD CRAZY!#MBSG #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন pic.twitter.com/1ylDyhOst4

— Mohun Bagan Super Giant (@mohunbagansg) September 3, 2023

He went over the advertising hoardings, ran past the rolled-over carpets that might have been brought there for welcoming dignitaries coming to watch the game, and then got to the stands fencing and just shook them wildly, sending the Mohun Bagan fans into delirium and the police officials into a jitter, trying to control him as well as the fans from outside and inside the stands. It was one moment that the fans would remember for a long time.

Red Cards to Anirudh Thapa and Dimas Delgado

Thapa was booked for his onfield shenanigans which saw his high boot reach the head of the Red and Gold Brigade's Javier Siverio in the 62nd minute.

Already on a yellow for a foul to Siverio himself in the first half, the referee Rajesh Gupta didn't hesitate in showing him the second yellow, which resulted in the Mohun Bagan player getting a red and heading to the dug-out, leaving his team down to 10 men on the pitch.

East Bengal's assistant coach Dimas Delgado, though, was always on the boil in the entire contest and got into a war of words with Juan Ferrando, the Mohun Bagan head coach. This resulted in the referee showing Delgado two yellow cards and subsequently a red one.

Mohun Bagan are the Durand Cup 2023 Champions!

Congratulations, Mariners! #DurandCup2023 #MohunBagan #EastBengalFC #KolkataDerby pic.twitter.com/36go0M1hSS

— Koushik Biswas (@kbofficial25) September 3, 2023

The Durand Cup Final in Numbers

17- Number of titles won by Mohun Bagan  

99- Minutes played in the game  

14- Minutes of added time  

104- Derby win for Mohun Bagan  

132- Final of the Durand Cup  

9- Wins for Mohun Bagan in the last 10 Kolkata Derby games  
23- Number of years it took Mohun Bagan to win thier next Durand Cup title