East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan: Why Red and Gold Lost the Kolkata Derby?

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East Bengal's ISL playoff hopes were jeopardized with a defeat in the Kolkata Derby against Mohun Bagan on Sunday (March 10).

It was a horrible evening for Carles Cuadrat's men, who suffered a 1-3 defeat at the hands of their city rivals at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan.

Jason Cummings, Liston Colaco and Dimitri Petratos scored three goals before halftime to get the Mariners in dreamland. Saul Crespo got one back for East Bengal but it wasn't enough for them. With the victory, Mohun Bagan moved to the summit of the ISL table.

As East Bengal lost yet another match in the league, MyKhel tries to find three possible reasons which led to their downfall-

A Defensive Slothness

East Bengal had a defensive lacklustreness in the first half, which directly contributed to their conceding of goals. The first goal had a lack of reaction, while the Colaco goal was an absolute howler from them. Nandha Sekar then made a poor foul to concede a cheap penalty. It was overall a disappointing defensive outing in the first 45 minutes, which cost them directly.

Cleiton Silva's Penalty Miss

It was an early opportunity for East Bengal to take the lead, but their captain and talisman Cleiton Silva failed to capitalize. After getting the penalty, Cleiton couldn't convert from the spot, and thus the dynamic of the match completely changed. Had East Bengal taken the lead, it could have been a different game altogether.

A lack of Intent

East Bengal were guilty of their slow start yet again. The Red and Gold were playing their home match, but it was a disappointing performance from them in the first 45 minutes. They lacked their attacking prowess in the first half and couldn't show any mettle going forward. Carles Cuadrat's men improved a lot after the break, but the question must arise as to why they didn't show intent from the first whistle.