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The 240th Kolkata derby between the big two of Indian football, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan saw two teams at opposite ends of the I-league participate in a battle that is more about pride and local bragging rights than about points and titles.

East Bengal though leading the head-to-head record between the two sides had not beaten Bagan in the last 9 derby games between the two. Bagan, also at the top of the I-league after 15 rounds; came into this game in fantastic form - unbeaten in 12, including wins in their last 10 matches. The last meeting between these two giants ended in a 1-1 draw back in October 2008.< /p>

There was some good news for East Bengal fans with star striker Sunil Chhetri in the starting lineup despite a minor wrist injury sustained during practice on Thursday.

Mohun Bagan started the brighter of the two sides, enjoying a lion share of possession, with East Bengal struggling to get out of their own half. Bhaichung Bhutia had the first chance of the match in the 3rd minute, however when he failed to reach the ball, the Indian skipper dived dramatically in a poor attempt to win his side a penalty.

In the 10th minute, Bhaichung failed to take advantage of a defensive lapse, after a speculative ball was misjudged by East Bengal goalkeeper Abhra Mondal. Bhutia jumped brilliantly to get his head to the ball first, but couldn't direct his effort on target.

Seconds later Jose Barreto got in between the two center backs, but could only direct his first time effort straight at Mondal.

Mondal was soon called into action again in the 18th minute, making a diving full-length save from a Barreto header from a Marcos freekick.

East Bengal finally got into the attacking final third, and Bagan keeper Sangram Mukherjee made a mess of a bouncing ball and conceded the first corner of the match in the 21st minute.

A poor attempted clearance saw Mohun Bagan concede another corner. Renedy Singh, who had been the only bright spark for East Bengal so far, whipped in an outstanding ball from the right, and Syed Rahim Nabi made an excellent run towards the front post to tuck away a header to give East Bengal the lead completely against the run of play.

East Bengal seemed to be buoyed by their goal, and were suddenly the only attacking force on the pitch. Yusif Yakubu had an excellent opportunity to double East Bengal's lead, but took the wrong decision trying to beat the goalkeeper at his near post from an impossible angle, with Sunil Chhetri completely unmarked in front of a vacant goal.
Another free kick on the right saw Renedy Singh whip in another delectable cross, with that man Nabi rising highest in a crowded Bagan penalty box to give East Bengal a 2-0 lead heading into the break.

Immediately after the restart Nabi turned provider for Sunil Chhetri who made no mistake to put East Bengal in complete command at 3-0. Nabi made an outstanding run down the East Bengal right and his pull back put the ball on a plate for the Indian striker to tuck away with ease.

It was a dagger blow for Bagan so soon after the break, one from which they never recovered.

Mohun Bagan made a couple of substitutions, bringing on Lal Kamal Bhowmick for Rakesh Masih immediately after the goal, and P.L. Puia for James Lukram Singh soon thereafter.

To make matters worse for Bagan, Bhaichung was booked for a dive inside the penalty area in the 64th minute. The Indian captain will miss the next game in the league as the yellow cards for him continued to pile up.

East Bengal brought on defender Nirmal Chhetri for Ismael Addo in the 66th minute as they looked to shut up shop at the back. The youngster almost made an instant impact at the other end, but his headed goal from another freekick was ruled out by referee Dinesh Nair.

Ishfaq Ahmed created an opportunity for himself minutes later, Bagan's first in a long time, however the temperamental winger's effort was well wide off the mark.

The game petered out over the last 20 minutes with both sides tiring after what had been an absorbing contest.

The result is unlikely to push East Bengal into title contention, but does give new coach Subhash Bhowmick a likely lease of life upto next season. The result for Bagan, coupled with Sporting Club de Goa's win over Mumbai FC earlier in the day sees Sporting leapfrog Bagan to the top of the table in the I-league.

Final Score:
East Bengal 3 - 0 Mohun Bagan
(Nabi 22, 40; Sunil Chhetri 47)

Photograph Copyright: Mangopeelmedia.com