Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: 5 of the Greatest Kolkata Derbies of All Time

India is cricket mad, with football usually forced to take a back seat. However, that philosophy goes out of the window when Mohun Bagan and East Bengal meet in the Kolkata derby.

The pair were the only native Indian sides allowed into the Kolkata top tier while the country was fighting for independence, and ever since they have been the backbone of Indian football.

Mohun Bagan and East Bengal have two very distinct fan bases, meaning meetings between the pair are not just about victory on the football pitch; they are also a tussle for national identity. As a result, the rivalry has played host to some classic encounters through the years. Here are the pick of the bunch.

1969 - Mohun Bagan 3-1 East Bengal

The great rivals met in the final of the 1969 IFA Shield, one of India's most prestigious cup competitions back in the day.

The 60s were a real purple patch in Mohun Bagan's history, spearheaded by revolutionary young coach Amal Dutta. The Mohun Bagan manager had his side playing an unorthodox 4-2-4 formation, complete with overlapping wingbacks. Honestly, they'll never catch on.

The formation worked wonders, with Mohun Bagan racing into a 3-0 lead inside 30 minutes thanks to goals from Pranab Ganguly and Ghosh Dastidar. The win gave the club their 11th IFA Shield victory.

1975 - East Bengal 5-0 Mohun Bagan

While the 60s belonged to Mohun Bagan, the 70s were all East Bengal, and this was typified by their 5-0 victory in the 1975 IFA Shield final.

Surajit Sengupta, Ranjit Mukherjee, Subhankar Sanyal and a Shyam Thapa brace wrapped up an emphatic victory - the biggest win in the history of the Kolkata derby.

The triumph handed East Bengal their 14th IFA Shield victory, completing a league and shield double for 1975.

1997 - East Bengal 4-1 Mohun Bagan

The two sides' meeting in the semi final of the 1997 Indian Federation Cup was an historic moment for Indian sport. Over 131,000 supporters piled into the stadium, making the game the highest attended sporting event in the country's history.

The spectators were treated to a goal fest. Nazim-ul-Haque opened the scoring for East Bengal, before Bhaichung Bhutia doubled their lead in the second half. Chima Okorie halved the deficit, but Bhutia scored twice in the space of four minutes to complete his hat-trick and seal the victory.

With his treble, Bhutia - who also had two spells at Mohun Bagan - created his own piece of history, becoming the first player to score a hat-trick in the Kolkata derby.

2009 - Mohun Bagan 5-3 East Bengal

Chidi Edeh was influential during this thrilling league encounter, as Mohun Bagan finally avenged their 1975 5-0 mauling. The Nigerian striker scored four times to help seal a famous victory.

East Bengal had led through Nirmal Chettri, before an Edeh brace and long range Manish Maithani  strike had given the hosts a 3-1 advantage. But a breathless 45 minutes finished with the scores all square after Yusuf Yakubu and Srecko Mitrovic capitalised on poor East Bengal defending.

Edeh took centre stage after the break, completing his hat-trick and added an unprecedented fourth. Anything Bhaichung Bhutia can do...

2015 - East Bengal 4-0 Mohun Bagan

East Bengal equalled their record for the greatest margin of victory in a Kolkata derby league encounter in 2015, as they stormed to a 4-0 victory.

Do Dong-hyun grabbed a brace - both free kicks from distance - and Mohammed Rafique and Rahul Bheke were also on the scoresheet.

With the emphatic victory, East Bengal equalled the record they had set back in 1936, and helped them secure their sixth league title in a row.