All football fanatics on this planet are aware of the big matches like ‘El Clasico’, ‘the Milan Derby’, ‘the Madrid Derby’, ‘the Manchester Derby’, etc. However, not many people in India are aware of an equally significant game. ‘ The Kolkata Derby!’ West Bengal was the first state where football started getting played in our country.
The two football giants Mohun Bagan and East Bengal participate in this match. Both of these teams are one of the oldest known football club teams and the match that is played between them is known as the Kolkata derby. In India, the Kolkata derby is the most important and highly favorite football match. This match is a Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal football match.
The History of Kolkata Derby
As mentioned earlier Mohun Bagan was the earliest established football club in India and probably till 1911, it was the only football club in the country. But, in 1920 Mohun Bagan played a game against Johar Bagan without their star football player Sailesh Bose. The club’s Vice President Mr. Suresh Chandra Chaudhuri was not at all happy with this and left the club and his position immediately.
Mr. Suresh Chandra hailed from East Bengal (currently, a part of Bangladesh) and hence decided to form the East Bengal football club. From this year onwards started the rivalry Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal, which has only grown more intense over the years.Â
The first-ever clash between the two rivals took place on 8th August 1921. The match remained goalless and as a result, the match was repeated on 10th August 1921. Mohun Bagan won the match by 3-0. In 1925 the football match was won by East Bengal 1-0. According to data that is collected a total of 367 matches were played from which Mohun Bagan won 118 matches and East Bengal won 129 matches.
The 1960s was the era for the Mohun Bagan team when they won almost all the matches. Topping to the ice-cream was when Mohun Bagan defeated their arch-rivals 3-1 on their home grounds in the IFA Shield final. Well, the tables turned in the next decade and the ’70s was the decade for East Bengals, where Mohun Bagan faced major defeat and left Mohun Bagan’s supporters were shell-shocked. Again in the 1980s, Mohun Bagan won 8 derbies. The 1980s also saw a major stampede in the Eden Garden, where almost 16 fans lost their lives.Â
Present-Day Kolkata Derby
The match is also known as Boro Match or ‘bodo’ match in the local language. The rivalry between these two teams is almost a century old and people go crazy while watching their matches. Almost every year during the derby match you can expect 90,000 to 1,00,000 spectators at a time. Mostly nowadays both the teams meet three times a year. Twice in I-league matches and once in Calcutta Football League Match. The fan followers of Mohun Bagan are known as Ghotis and those of East Bengal are known as ‘bangals’.
Though both the teams have been facing a lot of mismanagement and financial pressure these days, we can say that it is still the iconic football match that the entire country can brag about. Even now, people in Kolkata and West Bengal are crazy about the match and are die-hard fans of the match, just like Ashes between England and Australia.
Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal (Kolkata Derby) 2019
The Kolkata Derby 2019 was played at the Salt Lake Stadium under the Calcutta Football League. The Salt Lake Stadium has a capacity of 85,000 spectators and according to the information available the stadium was jam-packed and there were other spectators watching from the house rooftops.
Both the teams fought well and the match ended in a goalless draw. The fans of both the teams were a bit depressed but were happy that their team played well and did not lose the game.Â
So, this is all you want to know about the most famous Kolkata derby football Match. Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal football match.
