Nigerian defender Eze Kingsley Obumneme helped Mohun Bagan win 1-0 over arch rival East Bengal at a thrilling encounter in the seaon’s first I-league derby. Nigerian defender Kingsley, who signed from last season’s champion Aizawl FC, headed home the winner for Mohun Bagan from a Sony Norde corner in the 39th minute of the play. This helped the green and maroon brigade to earn full 3 points from the match.
Mohun Bagan coach Sanjoy Sen lined-up a 4-4-2 formation. In the beginning, both teams were keen to gain an early advantage. Most of Mohun Bagan’s attacks came from the left where Norde was deployed. The Red and Gold brigade chose to let the opposition see more of the ball and instead focused on counter-attacks. But Bagan broke the deadlock in the 39th minute with the goal. This defeat makes it a six consecutive loss for the Khalid Jamil led side against Sanjoy Sen’s outfit.
The match saw an attendance of more than 64,000 spectators. With this win, Bagan climbed to third position in the table with 4 points behind Shillong Lajong and Minerva Punjab. East Bengal slipped down one position to sixth with both sides having played two matches in the new I-League season.
