East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan: Biggest wins in Kolkata derby history

As far as local sporting rivalries go, few on this planet can compare to the one between East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan, commonly known as the Kolkata Derby. 

The two giants hailing from the same city, Kolkata, have been at each other's throats since East Bengal's inception a century ago on August 1st, 1920, and their rivalry has scripted the most glorious chapter in the history of Indian football.

The two teams are not just two football entities but represent two sets of inhabitants of the state of Bengal, who simply cannot stand losing to the other side. East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan evokes passion unlike another sporting contests in the country. In this article, we'll see the biggest wins in the Kolkata derby history.

Also Read: East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan: Head to Head Stats

Top Five Biggest wins in Kolkata derby history

In the 2009-10 I-League season, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan met in a high-scoring fixture. The game was a thrilling encounter between the Kolkata rivals. Nigerian forward Edeh Chidih scored four times while the other goal was scored by Manish Mathani for the Mariners. For East Bengal, Yusuf Yakubu scored a brace while the other goal was scored by Nirmal Chhetri which wasn't enough to stop Mohun Bagan that day.

In the first leg of the 2007-08 season of the Calcutta Football League between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal, the Mariners registered a thriller of a match by a 4-3 scoreline. PC Lalawmpuia, Jose Ramirez Barreto, and S. Venkatesh put the Green-and-Maroons 3-0 up inside the first half and made it look like a cakewalk.

But, East Bengal made a huge fightback in the second half with the help of a brace from Alvito D'Cunha. Venkatesh scored the next goal for Mohun Bagan to extend the lead but Edmilson scored from a spot kick situation at the end which wasn't enough to get something from the game.

The most significant and the biggest margin of win in the history of the Kolkata Derby was the 1975 IFA Shield clash. Mohun Bagan got thrashed by 5-0 in that match. Surajit Sengupta, Shyam Thapa, Ranjit Mukherjee, and Subhankar Sanyal were on the scoresheet for East Bengal.

Thapa missed a penalty but scored a brace in the game otherwise it would have been a hattrick for him. It is still the largest-margin victory in the Kolkata Derby. Umakanto Palodhi, a Mohun Bagan supporter committed suicide after the 0-5 loss. His suicide note read - "In my next birth, I will take the revenge by becoming a Mohun Bagan footballer."

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan met in the Federation Cup semi-final game at the Salt Lake Stadium in 1997. This game holds the record of having the highest stadium attendance in any sport in India. Around 1,31,000 people attended that high-voltage game in Kolkata.

East Bengal thrashed their arch-rivals by a margin of 4-1. Bhaichung Bhutia scored a hat-trick, the first in the Kolkata Derby's history, while the other goal was scored by Nazim-ul-Haque. Chima Okorie scored the only goal for Mohun Bagan which was just a consolation for the Mariners.

The Red & Gold Brigade managed an easy 4–0 win with two stunning free kicks by Do Dong-Hyun, one of which came in just after 82 seconds from the kick-off. This win sealed their league victory and their 118th win against their arch-rivals.

Mohammed Rafique headed in from close range eight minutes from the end of regulation time while Rahul Bheke added another to complete the scoreline. Mohun Bagan were reduced to 10 men after the break as Nigerian Dudu Omagbemi saw two yellow cards.