ATK Mohun Bagan might have won yet another Kolkata Derby against bitter rivals East Bengal FC, but the celebrations were lesser than usual after a fan of EBFC lost his life during their first Kolkata Derby match back at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata after Covid-19 on Saturday, October 29.
Joy Shankar Saha, who was a loyal supporter of the club, suffered a heart attack in the stands only 15 minutes into the first half as per reports. Shankar Saha was a resident of Deshbandhu Nagar in Baguiati. Over 60,000 fans were present at the stadium to witness the high-voltage match. However, the supporter started vomiting blood shortly after the match kicked off and was escorted to the local AMRI hospital by the police.
East Bengal Head Coach Stephen Constantine tweeted saying:
East Bengal player Jordan O'Doherty tweeted:
Pritam Kotal, a member of the victorious ATK Mohun Bagan tweeted in Bengali, saying, "The fight is a 90-minute fight inside the field, always hoping that those who come to the field enjoy the game and enjoy it. Joyshankar Saha, a native of Baguiati, died of a heart attack at the stadium during the derby, as his favourite team lost."
Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan registered a fifth successive victory in the Kolkata Derby after winning the match by 2-0 against arch-rivals East Bengal. Hugo Boumous opened the scoresheet of the match with his 56th-minute goal and then Manvir Singh converted an assist by Petratos to double Mohun Bagan’s lead in the 65th minute.
