Kolkata football derby: Watch these classic moments from East Bengal-Mohun Bagan matches
India's oldest football rivalry resumes on Saturday.
Move over Fatafati Football, the real deal is here. The oldest and most anticipated rivalry in Indian football, the year’s first East Bengal-Mohun Bagan derby, is all set to take place on Saturday. This one's an I-League tie.
As any Kolkatan will tell you, this is a clash which divides a city. From time immemorial, the sort of feeling and passion that the derby invokes is legendary. Despite being the defending champions of the I-League, Mohun Bagan will be the team thirsting for revenge as the last time these two met in the Calcutta Football League in September, East Bengal ran out comprehensive 4-0 winners (video above).
One of their most famous meetings came in 1997, when a 131,000-strong crowd packed the Salt Lake Stadium to watch the semi-finals of the Federation Cup. Baichung Bhutia, then in his prime, scored a spectacular hat-trick as East Bengal romped home 4-1.
Mohun Bagan have also had their share of massive wins. In 2009, they thrashed their rivals 5-3 in a high-scoring encounter which was duly celebrated by their fans.
Nor have these clashes been devoid of violence. In 1980 during a derby at the Eden Gardens, violence overtook the game, with 16 fans losing their lives. And though things are a little calmer in the new millennium, things can always boil over – as they did in 2012 when Mohun Bagan player Syed Rahim Nabi had to be carried off (sportingly, by East Bengal players) with a bloodied face after being hit by a missile.
