Kolkata: Cries of “Go East Bengal!” resonated through the otherwise empty lane of Leslie Claudius Sarani on Saturday morning. The roars grew louder as one would approach the East Bengal club, before their mega clash against arch-rivals Mohun Bagan on Sunday.
East Bengal fans cheering for the players on Saturday morning (Image credit-SportsCrunch)
Some hundreds of fans gathered at the stadium on Saturday just to witness their heroes in Red and Gold sweat it out in an intense practice session under the watchful eyes of coach Khalid Jamil, who wanted his men to avenge that dreadful defeat on December 3 last year. Every move, every kick and every save drew cheer from the groups of fans present at the ground who shouted out the names of the players to stir them on just before the high-octane clash.
A notable presence at the training session on Saturday was that of Dudu Omagbemi, who was East Bengal’s latest recruit in the winter transfer window. Although this signing by the Kolkata giants had drawn flak from many who argued that Dudu has lost his touch and wouldn’t be able to solve the goal-scoring problems they have, the Nigerian showed that he still had it in him with some powerful shots and accurate passes.
If the players were getting prepared for the all-important clash with the I-League table in mind, the fans made sure that they didn’t miss a beat. The collective chants and drum beats would give one a feeling that East Bengal is ready. Ready to upstage Mohun Bagan at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Sunday afternoon.
This match, although means a lot more than just an I-League clash, the competition is all that matters at the end of the day. These two sides had met last in December last year where the Mariners had emerged victorious, courtesy an early header from Kingsley Obuemene. From then, both these team have had contrasting campaigns in the I-League.
While the Red and Gold have marched ahead with five wins and three draws, Mohun Bagan have had a forgettable campaign so far, literally knocking themselves out of the competition.
A win for the East Bengal would be enough to bring them back in the reckoning after a string of frustrating draws and Katsumi Yusa who has been of fire after changing sides echoed the same sentiments.”We are more organised now and there really should be no excuses tomorrow,” said the former Bagan captain now an East Bengal midfield general.
Meanwhile I-League winning coach Khalid Jamil before the big game hinted that the 32-year-old Dudu might become the first East Bengal player to make his debut in a Kolkata derby when he said, “Football is about eleven players on the pitch. I saw Akram two-three years ago and he is a good player. We don’t have any special plans for him. However, we might start with two strikers ourselves.”
The fans are geared up and the good mood within the East Bengal camp would act as a huge boost to the players when they take the field against a depleted Mohun Bagan on Sunday. This is the match that the whole of Kolkata would sit up and watch. Will East Bengal turn the tides on their city rivals?