East Bengal wins Durand Cup after 22 years, reviving memories of the 'Diamond Match' derby

XtraTime Web Desk: It was not the famous five-goal thriller of 1975, but Sunday’s spectacle at the Salt Lake Stadium brought back memories of the historic “Diamond Match” as East Bengal lifted the Durand Cup after 22 years, crushing Mohun Bagan 4-1.

The night also revived memories of Bhaichung Bhutia’s iconic hat-trick. Following in the footsteps of Bhaichung, Ede Chidi and Kiyan Nassiri, East Bengal’s Edmund Lalrindika became the latest hero to score a hat-trick in the Kolkata derby.

As the goals kept coming in the first half, fans were reminded of both the 1975 five-goal thriller and the legendary Diamond Match. Four goals came in the first half, with Edmund scoring three and Bipin Singh adding the other.

This was truly an anti-climax for Mohun Bagan. The match initially began with the Mariners dominating possession and moving the ball around with their trademark passing football. But everything changed in the 12th minute. A loose ball fell to Rashid, who picked out Bipin Singh. His shot took a deflection off Vishal Kaith’s foot and ended up in the net.

Just two minutes later, East Bengal doubled their lead. Edmund received the ball from Jickson and fired home after the ball took a deflection off Rahul Bheke, leaving Kaith helpless.

In the 22nd minute, Edmund produced another brilliant finish. He controlled the ball inside the box and found the net as Bheke was left crawling on the ground.

Mohun Bagan pulled one back through Manvir Singh, who latched onto a through ball from midfield, cut in from the right and scored. But the comeback never materialised. Just before half-time, Edmund completed his hat-trick by getting a decisive touch to Jay Gupta’s cross.

Vishal Kaith had to watch four goals fly past him, but very little of the blame could be placed on the Mohun Bagan goalkeeper. The real problem was the defence. There appeared to be no understanding between the defenders, while their positioning was often inexplicable. Most strikingly, the entire backline looked painfully slow.

East Bengal simply outplayed them with pace and fitness.

Mohun Bagan tried to build attacks through short passing, but their movement was so slow that it rarely troubled East Bengal. Antonio Lopez Habas, meanwhile, adopted a defensive approach and relied on rapid counter-attacks. His direct football exposed Mohun Bagan’s lack of pace and completely unsettled them.

Jamie Maclaren had perhaps his poorest game in a green-and-maroon shirt. Had he been at his best, he could easily have scored a couple of goals. His performance also suggested that he is still short of full fitness.

For East Bengal, the entire team appeared to operate under the control of Rashid. Having a midfielder capable of dictating the tempo and executing the coach’s plans makes a huge difference.

The match was effectively decided in the first half. After the interval, East Bengal dropped deeper and concentrated on protecting their three-goal advantage. Rashid and Jickson stopped pushing forward, while the defenders stayed in front of the backline.

With a three-goal cushion, East Bengal played exactly the kind of football the situation demanded. Mohun Bagan continued passing the ball around in midfield, but their possession lacked penetration and never seriously worried Habas.

Antonio Lopez Habas has already proved that he is a championship-winning coach, and Sunday provided another demonstration of his tactical acumen.

The only question that remains is this: how long has it been since Mohun Bagan were beaten so comprehensively by East Bengal? That, perhaps, is a question for football historians to answer.