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Atishay Inc. : The Comic Tragedy Of Derby Day Defending
After a highly entertaining clash between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan ended with Bagan winning 5-3, Goal.com's Atishay Agarwal re-visits the eight goals scored, and just how and why they were scored...
26-Oct-2009 2:15:08 AM
This article's sole purpose is a few laughs, and doesn't necessarily remain consistent with reality.
Sometimes matches which are much awaited turn out to be duds. And then there are some which belittle even the highest expectations. Sunday's derby clash between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was a perfect example of the latter.
The beginning of the game was overshadowed by the news that Bhaichung Bhutia wouldn't be involved due to injury, which was a huge blow, both to Subhash Bhowmick as well as the striker himself. After all that's gone on between him and Mohun Bagan over the summer, he would have been by far the most motivated player on the pitch, had he played, and would have wanted to show Bagan what they're missing. However, both teams missed something much more than the India skipper.
They missed a defence.
If you're a regular follower of European and international football, it takes time for one to adjust to the inferior quality of defending in the I-League. Now, despite having served that initial time to adjust, it will take anyone much longer to believe the quality of defending on show in the latest Kolkata derby. Both sides did their best to contribute to it, but East Bengal fought hard, and probably were the better side at defending poorly.
So let's have a look at the goals one by one, re-living some of the excitement and drama that went behind creating this blockbuster of a match.
Goal #1 - Setting The Tone
This was fairly straightforward, especially if you compare it to the rather more elaborate defensive blunders later in the piece. Renedy took the corner, and Red and Gold players queued up to head it in, with the Bagan defence static as they probably spotted a unicorn near the dugout.
Goalkeeper Shilton Paul was admiring Renedy Singh's stance as he took the corner, and instead of standing on his line, he was in no man's land, standing with his chest towards the corner flag, and was left scratching his head as Nirmal Chettri made a run ahead of him to thump home the opener.
Goal #2 - Returning The Favour
East Bengal probably thought, "How can Bagan do something better than us? If they can defend badly, we can do the same, and be better at it."
And they were. Surkumar Singh surged down the right hand side, with most of Bhowmick's men standing by the side and giving him a guard of honour. Eventually, Govin Singh took the responsibility upon himself, and then proceeded to lie down in the fullback's path, who strolled past him and cut the ball back across goal for Chidi to score. It looked like Govin Singh was attempting a tackle, but surely, it wasn't anything like one.
Goal #3 - Get Out Of The Way
As Bagan piled on the pressure on East Bengal, a cross from the left into the latter's penalty area caused all kinds of confusion. The East Bengal defenders and Chidi Edeh descended into the "Pehle aap" banter that a lot of us get involved into in India, with Chidi finally threw the kitchen sink at the ball, his shot was blocked.
However, East Bengal tried to take the mickey by sarcastically offering Bagan another pop at the cherry, almost as if they wanted to say, "You wont score even if we give you two chances."
They cleared the ball straight to Manish Mathani, and the young lad from Dehra Dun hammered the ball straight to Abhra Mondal, who, after hearing cries of "Get out of the way!" from the scampering defenders, showed marvelous reflexes to do just that, and push the ball into the back of the net. Phew! The East Bengal defence heaved a sigh of relief!
Goal #4 - As Easy As You Like
East Bengal continued their hospitality drive on the Salt Lake Stadium pitch, as they welcomed Bagan into their third of the pitch with open arms each time. The invitees this time were the ever-visiting Jose Barreto and Chidi Edeh.
Barreto drifted to the right, Nabi showed him some space from where he could get a clear view of the penalty area, and the Brazilian sent in a cross into the danger area. Nirmal Chettri stood motionless near the far post, replaying his goal in his mind and gushing at the finish, while Mehrajuddin Wadoo decided against jumping for the ball as his locks got entangled.
Chidi got the header in, and Mondal did what he was doing best at the time. He parried it into the back of the net, almost hitting the same spot as he did earlier. "Damn", he went.
Goal #5 - Steer Clear Of The Ball, Everyone!
The best of the lot. East Bengal decided to go sight-seeing, and hence paid a visit to Bagan's half, where a hopeful ball was played into their penalty area. Pinball in the box ensued thereafter, as the ball ricocheted multiple times, finally taking a touch off Yakubu and bouncing towards goal.
Surkumar Singh mistook the ball for some sort of a hi-tech bomb, shielding Yakubu from it in order to protect the Ghanaian. Shilton Paul raced off his line to gather, but after having a word with Surkumar, the keeper ducked to save himself, and the bomb, I mean ball, rolled over the line. Yakubu looked embarrassed, more than anything else.
Goal #6 - A Welcome Gift For The Foreigner
Sreco Mitrovic wasn't doing too much on his debut for East Bengal. Strolling on the artificial turf, feeling the rubber against his boots, and soaking in the pleasant weather that has made itself a topic of discussion in Kolkata during the last few days.
However, with Renedy Singh over the ball again, Sreco saw the danger of the ball coming into the danger area, so he scurried across goal at the last moment, trying to get away. Alas, the ball followed him all the way, rubbed off the top of his head, and then Yakubu, and nestled itself into the back of the net.
Goal #7 - You Get What You Give
It's a good saying, one which every person must keep in mind. However, the East Bengal defence grasped the words only literally. Snehashish Chakraborty decided to cross the ball into the box, but it fell straight at Mehrajuddin Wadoo's feet. Wadoo, the nice, well-behaved lad that he is, played it straight back to Snehashish, egging him on to do better next time.
And so he did, a burst of acceleration and a cross later, James Singh, who was running in to praise Wadoo for his generosity, headed the ball back across goal, and Chidi whacked it in. Bimal Ghosh, somewhere in Mumbai, hung his head in shame at seeing the defending.
Goal #8 - Going For It
Beauty lies in simplicity. But again, the Red and Gold didn't quite use the saying to their advantage. They let Bagan score a simple goal, just to make the goings-on beautiful. As the delivery from a corner came in, Abhra Mondal, who couldn't stand Mehraj's long, curly hair anymore, decided to grab some of it himself.
Mehraj, seeing the impending danger, tried to out-jump his keeper, saving himself and his hair. Amidst all the confusion, and as both Mondal and Wadoo stumbled to the floor, Chidi Edeh, headed home again, thanking his lucky stars for a performance he will never repeat. Or at least, no defence will let him repeat.
I hope.
Atishay Agarwal
Sometimes matches which are much awaited turn out to be duds. And then there are some which belittle even the highest expectations. Sunday's derby clash between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan was a perfect example of the latter.
The beginning of the game was overshadowed by the news that Bhaichung Bhutia wouldn't be involved due to injury, which was a huge blow, both to Subhash Bhowmick as well as the striker himself. After all that's gone on between him and Mohun Bagan over the summer, he would have been by far the most motivated player on the pitch, had he played, and would have wanted to show Bagan what they're missing. However, both teams missed something much more than the India skipper.
They missed a defence.
If you're a regular follower of European and international football, it takes time for one to adjust to the inferior quality of defending in the I-League. Now, despite having served that initial time to adjust, it will take anyone much longer to believe the quality of defending on show in the latest Kolkata derby. Both sides did their best to contribute to it, but East Bengal fought hard, and probably were the better side at defending poorly.
So let's have a look at the goals one by one, re-living some of the excitement and drama that went behind creating this blockbuster of a match.
Goal #1 - Setting The Tone
This was fairly straightforward, especially if you compare it to the rather more elaborate defensive blunders later in the piece. Renedy took the corner, and Red and Gold players queued up to head it in, with the Bagan defence static as they probably spotted a unicorn near the dugout.
Goalkeeper Shilton Paul was admiring Renedy Singh's stance as he took the corner, and instead of standing on his line, he was in no man's land, standing with his chest towards the corner flag, and was left scratching his head as Nirmal Chettri made a run ahead of him to thump home the opener.
Goal #2 - Returning The Favour
East Bengal probably thought, "How can Bagan do something better than us? If they can defend badly, we can do the same, and be better at it."
And they were. Surkumar Singh surged down the right hand side, with most of Bhowmick's men standing by the side and giving him a guard of honour. Eventually, Govin Singh took the responsibility upon himself, and then proceeded to lie down in the fullback's path, who strolled past him and cut the ball back across goal for Chidi to score. It looked like Govin Singh was attempting a tackle, but surely, it wasn't anything like one.
Goal #3 - Get Out Of The Way
As Bagan piled on the pressure on East Bengal, a cross from the left into the latter's penalty area caused all kinds of confusion. The East Bengal defenders and Chidi Edeh descended into the "Pehle aap" banter that a lot of us get involved into in India, with Chidi finally threw the kitchen sink at the ball, his shot was blocked.
However, East Bengal tried to take the mickey by sarcastically offering Bagan another pop at the cherry, almost as if they wanted to say, "You wont score even if we give you two chances."
They cleared the ball straight to Manish Mathani, and the young lad from Dehra Dun hammered the ball straight to Abhra Mondal, who, after hearing cries of "Get out of the way!" from the scampering defenders, showed marvelous reflexes to do just that, and push the ball into the back of the net. Phew! The East Bengal defence heaved a sigh of relief!
I tried to miss, but alas!
Goal #4 - As Easy As You Like
East Bengal continued their hospitality drive on the Salt Lake Stadium pitch, as they welcomed Bagan into their third of the pitch with open arms each time. The invitees this time were the ever-visiting Jose Barreto and Chidi Edeh.
Barreto drifted to the right, Nabi showed him some space from where he could get a clear view of the penalty area, and the Brazilian sent in a cross into the danger area. Nirmal Chettri stood motionless near the far post, replaying his goal in his mind and gushing at the finish, while Mehrajuddin Wadoo decided against jumping for the ball as his locks got entangled.
Chidi got the header in, and Mondal did what he was doing best at the time. He parried it into the back of the net, almost hitting the same spot as he did earlier. "Damn", he went.
Having a bad hair day.
Goal #5 - Steer Clear Of The Ball, Everyone!
The best of the lot. East Bengal decided to go sight-seeing, and hence paid a visit to Bagan's half, where a hopeful ball was played into their penalty area. Pinball in the box ensued thereafter, as the ball ricocheted multiple times, finally taking a touch off Yakubu and bouncing towards goal.
Surkumar Singh mistook the ball for some sort of a hi-tech bomb, shielding Yakubu from it in order to protect the Ghanaian. Shilton Paul raced off his line to gather, but after having a word with Surkumar, the keeper ducked to save himself, and the bomb, I mean ball, rolled over the line. Yakubu looked embarrassed, more than anything else.
Goal #6 - A Welcome Gift For The Foreigner
Sreco Mitrovic wasn't doing too much on his debut for East Bengal. Strolling on the artificial turf, feeling the rubber against his boots, and soaking in the pleasant weather that has made itself a topic of discussion in Kolkata during the last few days.
However, with Renedy Singh over the ball again, Sreco saw the danger of the ball coming into the danger area, so he scurried across goal at the last moment, trying to get away. Alas, the ball followed him all the way, rubbed off the top of his head, and then Yakubu, and nestled itself into the back of the net.
Goal #7 - You Get What You Give
It's a good saying, one which every person must keep in mind. However, the East Bengal defence grasped the words only literally. Snehashish Chakraborty decided to cross the ball into the box, but it fell straight at Mehrajuddin Wadoo's feet. Wadoo, the nice, well-behaved lad that he is, played it straight back to Snehashish, egging him on to do better next time.
And so he did, a burst of acceleration and a cross later, James Singh, who was running in to praise Wadoo for his generosity, headed the ball back across goal, and Chidi whacked it in. Bimal Ghosh, somewhere in Mumbai, hung his head in shame at seeing the defending.
Blinded by the defending on show.
Goal #8 - Going For It
Beauty lies in simplicity. But again, the Red and Gold didn't quite use the saying to their advantage. They let Bagan score a simple goal, just to make the goings-on beautiful. As the delivery from a corner came in, Abhra Mondal, who couldn't stand Mehraj's long, curly hair anymore, decided to grab some of it himself.
Mehraj, seeing the impending danger, tried to out-jump his keeper, saving himself and his hair. Amidst all the confusion, and as both Mondal and Wadoo stumbled to the floor, Chidi Edeh, headed home again, thanking his lucky stars for a performance he will never repeat. Or at least, no defence will let him repeat.
I hope.
Atishay Agarwal
Inside Goal.Com
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