When Kolkata stops, it's only for East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Derby
And it pulls in everyone. Hardcore fans carrying drums, yes, but also uncles who haven't seen a match in a decade, bus conductors who let their bias slip in fare disputes, neighbours who suddenly stop exchanging pleasantries if they know the other is wearing the wrong colours.The build-up is almost cinematic. A hush before the storm, streets clearing quicker, markets buzzing with urgency, everyone rushing to find their place — whether in front of a tiny TV in a para club or inside the Salt Lake Stadium, the cauldron that holds the loudest argument in Indian football.For those marching to the ground, the spectacle is its own derby. Mini-trucks painted in red or green, faces smeared in colour, smoke bombs ready in pockets, drums strapped to sides — moving like an army on the way to war.Because that's what this rivalry is. Not just a game. It's heritage, identity, and chaos rolled into ninety minutes. It's not just noise — it's a storm.What the numbers sayAnd yet, beneath the noise, the football itself writes its own chapters. East Bengal, a team in transition under head coach Oscar Bruzon, arrive with fresh blood in Hamid Ahadad and Miguel Ferreira, the steel of Saul Crespo, and new Indian additions like Bipin Singh and Martand Raina. Personal tragedy has robbed them of Basim Rashid, but they carry momentum into the clash.Mohun Bagan, in contrast, look far less experimental. Their Australian trio of Jamie Maclaren, Jason Cummings and Dimitri Petratos remain a lethal frontline, backed by the defensive calm of Tom Aldred and Alberto Rodriguez.History leaves its fingerprints on every Kolkata Derby. East Bengal haven't tasted victory often in recent times, but when they have, it's been unforgettable — like the 3-1 turnaround in the 2024 Super Cup groups or the slender 1-0 strike in the 2023 Durand Cup. Mohun Bagan, though, had their reply in that very Durand edition, edging East Bengal in the semis before going on to lift the trophy. The rivalry swings back and forth, never resting, always alive.advertisementAnd that is why Kolkata stops. Because when East Bengal and Mohun Bagan meet, it's not just football. It's a living, roaring, unending debate. A city divided by colour, united by passion.When Kolkata stops, it's only for this.- Ends
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
World C'ships an opportunity for Lakshya to turn things around: Coach Vimal
CHENNAI: The season so far has been an immense slog for badminton ace Lakshya Sen. Victories have been at a premium and the shuttler, despite his unarguable talent, has largely been at sea while trying to navigate high-intensity matches inside the court. But that narrative can change in no time. With the all-important World Championships in Paris around the corner, Lakshya will be hoping to buck the trend. With the gold-standard event in mind, the shuttler from Almora is currently training in Paris alongside some of the elite French players. The Indian, who celebrated his 24th birthday on August 16, will be returning to a venue — Porte de La Chapelle Arena — where he had narrowly missed out on an Olympic medal last year. Having said that, he has also tasted success there, having reached the semifinals of the French Open in summer last year. And the Indian had shown some form during his last outing — Macau Open, gaining crucial match-practice in the process. However, he has to be near-flawless from the onset during the BWF Grade 1 event — scheduled to be held from August 25 to 31 — as he will be facing China's Shi Yu Qi, who has been one of the standouts of the season so far with four titles to his name. The odds are clearly stacked against Lakshya but a victory against the World No 1 shuttler could just be the kick he needs. U Vimal Kumar, Lakshya's coach at the Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy (PPBA), concurred. "It's an opportunity (for Lakshya). That's what I told him the moment I saw the draw. He said everything is going well. Shi Yu Qi is someone whom he has beaten before. The top-30 players who'll be playing in the event, Lakshya has beaten all of them. He can beat any of them but he has to convert his chances. The top guys are also vulnerable and they'll be under pressure. Shi can also be under pressure. He knows Lakshya's strengths and it's going to be a tough match. If Lakshya can play fearlessly and pull off a win, it will be a good breakthrough," Vimal told this daily. Lakshya this season has either struggled to get his engine burning, going by his early exits or he has seemed to be lacking ideas during the business end of sweat-dripping matches. Vimal, who has been regularly looking to motivate his ward, said that is the issue that he's trying to address at the moment. "He needs match-practice. Training is not new, he has been doing that for long. He has been looking to work on dealing with different situations, how you employ yourself and pull off wins. He has been faltering in those closing stages. That is an area that they're trying to get better at, to understand when to push the pace, when to keep the shuttle in play without making mistakes when under pressure. That he can only gain in the practice that he's getting over there as there are quite a lot of other elite players who're also practising there. He has to figure things out, everything can't be coached."
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Chhetri is not there as team playing a preparatory tournament, doors are open for him: Jamil
Newly-appointed India head coach Khalid Jamil on Sunday (August 17, 2025) cleared the air about the leaving out of talismanic striker Sunil Chhetri from the CAFA Nations Cup national camp, saying it was just a preparatory tournament for the crucial Asian Cup qualifying round matches in October. Jamil, who succeeded Manolo Marquez as India head coach earlier this month, on Friday named 35 probables for the upcoming CAFA Nations Cup in Tajikistan and Uzbekistan, with Chhetri missing from the list. Jamil did not say in so many words but made it clear that Chhetri is expected to walk into the national team for the Asian Cup qualifying round matches against Singapore on October 9 (away) and October 14 (home). 'He [Chhetri] is not there in this camp because we are playing a tournament which will essentially serve as a preparation for our Asian Cup Qualifiers,' Jamil said on the second day of the national camp here. 'I also want to try out a few other players during this FIFA window. I had a talk with him about the same. It's always a pleasure to have a player like him in the team, and the door is always open for him. 'Sunil is a legend of Indian football. I have played against him, I've seen him play on numerous occasions, and he is one of my favourite players. He is a role model for Indian football," he said in a release from the All India Football Federation (AIFF). Placed in Group B of the CAFA Nations Cup, India face co-host Tajikistan on August 29, Iran on September 1 and Afghanistan on September 4. The third-place match and the final will be played on September 8 in Hisor and Tashkent (Uzbekistan), respectively. The national camp began on Saturday featuring 22 players while the remaining 13, who were doing club duties at the ongoing Durand Cup, are likely to join in a few days. The AIFF has urged all the clubs to release national team players for the tournament. The 41-year-old Chhetri took international retirement after playing against Kuwait in June last year but made a return for national duty in the match against Maldives in March this year following a request from Marquez to help the team in the Asian Cup qualifiers third round. Chhetri has played four matches since then and scored once -- in the 3-0 win over Maldives. India drew Bangladesh 0-0 and lost to Hong Kong 0-1 in the Asian Cup qualifiers, leaving the country in a difficult position to qualify for the continental showpiece in 2027. In between India lost 0-2 to Thailand in an international friendly. Marquez quit after the string of poor performance of the team. 'CAFA Nations Cup good opportunity to play against quality opponents' The CAFA Nations Cup will be 48-year-old Jamil's first international assignment, and Jamil said the central Asian tournament will be a good opportunity for his team to play against quality opponents. "This will be India's first-ever participation in the CAFA Nations Cup, and it will be a good opportunity for us to play against stronger and quality opponents like Tajikistan and Iran in CAFA Nations Cup. This will definitely be beneficial for us to prepare for AFC Asian Cup qualifiers. "There is absolutely no excuse for us, as we have enough time to prepare for it. We may be treating these as preparatory games, but this is serious business for us," he said. Tasked with turning the Blue Tigers' fortunes around, Jamil wants to take one step at a time. 'We must do the simple things first and go step by step. We are treating these matches as friendly games, but I want to take players who are fit. When I say fit, I mean, the players who will play must be 100% fit,' said Jamil. 'We started the camp with some players still not available, but we've got the players we need to begin our preparations. We had a good first training session yesterday [Saturday], but there's a lot to improve on. "The important thing is that we remain united as a team. For the national interest, we would like to request co-operation from clubs to release players on time, to ensure their adequate participation during the preparatory camp," he added. The former Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United coach said he needs time to adjust to the team. "The players also need time to adjust to me. My doors are always open to everybody. Whoever is doing well will be selected.' On his appointment as India head coach, Jamil said, 'It is my pleasure to serve the country. It has always been my dream to do this, and it has now come true, so that feels very good. "There is a big task ahead of us, and we've got many areas that we need to work on. I am fully aware how big a responsibility it is for me, but I feel thankful that the Federation (AIFF) felt me worthy to be entrusted with it.'
The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
East Bengal beats Mohun Bagan in Kolkata Derby, sets up Durand Cup 2025 semifinal clash against Diamond Harbour
East Bengal came with a nice essay of attacking football to prevail over its traditional rival Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-1 in the fourth quarterfinal of the Durand Cup 2025 tournament at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday. East Bengal will now take on the newcomer Diamond Harbour FC, which surprised Jamshedpur FC in the third quarterfinal held earlier in the day, in the second semifinal at the same venue on Wednesday. East Bengal went ahead in the 38th minute when Dimitrios Diamantakos, who came on as a 17th minute substitute for an injured Hamid Ahadad, converted a penalty to keep his side ahead in the first half. The Greek forward scored again soon after the break to double East Bengal's lead in the 52nd minute. AS IT HAPPENED | Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal highlights Mohun Bagan pulled one back through Anirudh Thapa in the 68th minute but that was not enough to stop East Bengal from securing the well-deserved win. Making a departure from its recent performances East Bengal showed a sprightly approach putting the Indian Super League double title winner Mohun Bagan under pressure right from the start. Bringing in a host of new faces in the side this season, East Bengal showed a remarkable transformation and mounted repeated attacks to put Mohun Bagan's defence under pressure for a protracted period. The Red and Gold Brigade's dominance was sparked by its attacking efficiency that was highlighted by the effective combination of its Brazilian play-maker Miguel Ferreira with wingers Bipin Singh and Naorem Mahesh Singh. And with Diamantakos showing a great sharpness in the box it was only a matter of time before East Bengal picked up the lead. Mohun Bagan came back briefly in the game and reduced the margin with a nice goal from Anurudh Thapa in the 68th minute but the goal seemed to have come a bit too late as East Bengal sealed up its defence to preserve the lead till the end. | Photo Credit: Durand Cup Media Diamantakos struck the target from the spot after Bipin was brought down inside the box by Mohun Bagan's Asish Rai and the referee had no hesitation in awarding a penalty. Before Mohun Bagan could regroup to find an equaliser, East Bengal doubled the lead to gain the psychological edge in the 52nd minute. Diamantakos picked up an assist from Mahesh and finished it with a sharp turn as the stands erupted in wild celebration expecting a long deserved win. Mohun Bagan came back briefly in the game and reduced the margin with a nice goal from Anurudh Thapa in the 68th minute but the goal seemed to have come a bit too late as East Bengal sealed up its defence to preserve the lead till the end.
