India captain Bhaichung Bhutia scored the solitary goal as Mohun Bagan beat traditional rivals East Bengal 1-0 in their eighth outing of the I-League football tournament in Kolkata on Sunday.
Bagan are now in seventh position and this win would definitely satisfy the ego of their huge fan base and boost their morale for the remaining matches in the league.
They now have 11 points from eight matches while East Bengal remain on seven. Dempo Sports Club is leading the table with 18 points.
The match never rose to great heights but both sides had quite a few opportunities to score.
Bagan got their first look at the East Bengal goal as early as the fifth minute but their defender Douglas, who was chosen man of the match, shot out from close.
East Bengal were handicapped as their midfield livewire Alvito D'Cunha could not play after getting yellow cards in two successive matches.
East Bengal also came near scoring in the 34th minute but their striker Asim Biswas' shot was too feeble to cause any danger.
Bagan forced another opportunity five minutes before the breather but Brazilian striker Jose Ramirez Barreto shot over from inside the box off a pass from Bhutia.
Bagan went into all out attack right after the changeover but Bhutia failed to slot home from a dangerous position inside the box.
After East Bengal strikers Rahim Nabi and Asim Biswas failed to capitalise on the chances they got in the 49th and 50th minutes respectively, Bagan scored the lone goal of the day 10 minutes later.
Douglas' chip from outside the box was flicked on across the face of the goal by Barreto for Bhutia to head home from close range.
East Bengal had an opportunity to restore parity in the 78th minute but substitute striker Snehasish Chakraborty, who replaced Asim Biswas, headed out a centre from the right.
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