East Bengal versus Mohun Bagan has, more often than not, been a battle of nerves. A missed kick, a wrong pass, and you’re subjected to the wrath of thousands of fans.
Ask Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. The goalkeeper from Kerala Blasters arrived at East Bengal at 23, a season after winning the Golden Glove in 2021-22. A young goalkeeper and an Indian Super League (ISL)-winning coach in Carles Cuadrat – East Bengal fans dreamt of glory days again.
Gill conceded 25 goals in 21 matches that season (2023-24). East Bengal finished ninth in the table, with a loss and a draw to Bagan. Hopes of revival quickly evaporated.
In his first derby in the ISL, Gill conceded twice, and both at the near post. Over two games against Bagan in ISL 2023-24, he let in five goals, and emotions got the better of fans, as doubts crept in about his ability.
The re-signing of Debjit Majumder — who had been a regular starter for Chennaiyin FC — in the next season only fanned rumours of the club looking for alternatives. Gill improved marginally, conceding one fewer (24) goal in the ISL.
However, East Bengal’s current coach, Oscar Bruzon, stuck with him, grooming him for a better footing in the box and a more alert presence to trigger counterattacks, both of which proved crucial in East Bengal’s latest Kolkata derby.
Going into the derby, East Bengal needed at least a draw to remain in the title race, and thought it had won the match when Edmund Lalrindika scored in the 84th minute.
However, Bagan equalised within five minutes and almost won the match in second-half stoppage time when Jamie Maclaren, getting a pass from Jason Cummings, tried to poke the ball across from the left.
It was here that Gill’s moment of redemption arrived. He stretched out his left foot, positioning it at the right place and at the right time to block the shot. In a duel between an Australian World Cup veteran and an Indian player yet to make his international debut, the latter had the last laugh, while the former had his hands on his head in disbelief.
“Gill is a guy who needs a lot of support, good words. He likes to have confidence. He grew into the game,” Bruzon said after the match.
“You saw in the first half that he had some issues with the kicks. It wasn’t very well defined where to take the kicks, the long kicks. But we gave him confidence at half-time. We gave him some instructions to play more diagonal and long balls. I think slowly, his confidence grew, and in the second half, not only the last save, but also in the area yesterday, he was looking very good. I’m very satisfied with his performance,” Bruzon added.
Three seasons into life in Kolkata, Gill has slowly become harder to beat, both physically and mentally, from conceding 1.19 goals per match in the 2023-24 campaign to 0.833 this season. His side is unbeaten in nine games in the league, has lost just once in 12 matches and leads the standings before the final round of play.
Gill’s attacking ability has improved too, evident from an early chance when he kicked a long diagonal ball to P.V. Vishnu, who almost scored the opening goal of the match.
Gill had come on as a backup to Albino Gomes at Kerala Blasters in the 2021-22 season and earned the best goalkeeper award within a season.
Now in Kolkata, after struggling in consecutive campaigns, he might have finally chiselled his art to keep his nerves rock-steady, becoming a hero for fans when it matters.
Published on May 18, 2026