There are few matchups across the globe that make you go berserk just when you hear the name. The ‘El Clasico’, ‘Der Klassiker’, ‘The North West Derby’ are a few examples of it.
One such rivalry in the Indian subcontinent is the century-old ‘Boro Match’ as known locally or the ‘Kolkata Derby’, which is pretty familiar across the nation. East Bengal FC and ATK Mohun Bagan go head to head in this famous fixture that had its very first outing way back in 1921. Thousands of people gather to witness this fire of a clash everytime it’s around the corner.
It’s not just on the football field that these two footballing giants compete. Matchweek 4’s eISL fixture will see these two top clubs battle it out on the FIFA stage, aiming to climb up the points table. East Bengal FC currently sit one place above ATK Mohun Bagan, with the teams positioned at 7th and 8th place respectively.
Recap of the previous season’s encounters
ATK Mohun Bagan and East Bengal FC (erstwhile SC East Bengal) went head to head in the first of the two fixtures in Match 13 in the last eISL campaign. Though ATK Mohun Bagan drew first blood, it wasn’t long until East Bengal pulled one back to level it in the first game. From then on, it was just East Bengal dominating through the game, putting 4 past the Mohun Bagan defense to end it 1-5. The second game once again saw East Bengal’s firepower on full force, as they banged in three goals, compared to just one from Mohun Bagan to take home the tie. The third game was a rollercoaster of a fixture. First, Mohun Bagan took the lead and then East Bengal drew level. Then, East Bengal took the lead and the Mohun Bagan boys chipped in with the equalizer. Finally, East Bengal scored the goal that gave them the clean sweep, just five minutes before the ref blew the full-time whistle.
Match 68 once again saw these two gigantic clubs face off. East Bengal picked up right where they left off as they scored three past the opposition in the first game to put them one up in the tie. In the second game, Mohun Bagan looked like they were going to pull one back in the tie with an early goal, only for East Bengal to draw level just two minutes from full-time. The third game was once again a banger of a game, with both teams coming back at different points in the game. The game ended 2-2, giving East Bengal the double over Mohun Bagan after a powerful display in the first game.
With a different set of players taking the stage this time for both clubs, Afnan Ameen and Vignesh Balaji will represent ATK Mohun Bagan, while Shayantan Mondal and Akshat Khandelwal will be the face of East Bengal FC. A familiar face in the eISL, Afnan plied his trade for FC Goa last time out, and had a blistering campaign. On the opposite side, Akshat is another player who had a standout season with the Blasters last time out. Vignesh and Shayan, who are their respective seasons have bursted into life in this eISL campaign and are solidly set to partner up with their respective teammates and battle it out tonight. Who comes out on top? Let’s watch. Catch all the action on eISL and ISL YouTube channels from 7PM onwards.
