Red and gold were the colours at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. Emami East Bengal defeated Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-1 in the quarter-finals of the Durand Cup, with Dimitrios Diamantakos (38th and 52nd) turning out to be the hero of the derby, scoring a brace.

Anirudh Thapa’s 68th-minute strike gave Bagan fans hope of a comeback, but it did not happen.

East Bengal will now face Diamond Harbour FC in the semi-final at the same venue on Wednesday. Diamond Harbour prevailed over Jamshedpur FC 2-0 in Jamshedpur.

The last time East Bengal won a derby against Bagan in Calcutta — when most of the first team players featured — was on August 12, 2023, in a group-stage match of the Durand Cup. That was two years ago. Understandably, the East Bengal fans were euphoric in the stands. Flares, flames, chants, the red and gold supporters did it all.

East Bengal have built a team which, if it remains fit, can pose a few questions to their rivals, particularly Bagan.

Miguel Ferreira in the midfield, Kevin Sibille in defence and Hamid Ahadad upfront are the foreigners who have brought a lot of solidity and creativity. Another new signing, Bassim Rashid, missed what could have been his first derby due to a personal tragedy. Add to that Indian players like Edumund Lalrindika, Bipin Singh and Jay Gupta.

Hamid, who is among goals in this tournament, limped off the field in the 18th minute, but that did not deter East Bengal. Substitute Dimantakos was there to grab the headlines.

The former Kerala Blasters player was vilified by East Bengal fans last season for a not-so-impressive performance, and the team management at one point in time was mulling whether to let him go. Better senses prevailed, and ‘Dimi’, as he is called by teammates and fans, stayed at the red and gold camp. On Sunday, it paid off.

His two goals — the first one from a penalty after Asish Rai brought down Bipin inside box and the second just after the change the ends, when he latched onto a Naorem Mahesh Singh pass and saw his shot nestle into the net after a slight deflection off Bagan’s Alberto Rodrigues — would silence all those who doubted his prowess inside the box.

With luck, he could have got a hat-trick too, but his prod from close at the fag end of the match was palmed away by a diving Bagan goalkeeper Vishal Kaith.

East Bengal played with a purpose throughout the match. They defended doggedly, muscled over their rivals in the midfield and constantly probed the Bagan defence.

Even when Bagan went all out after Thapa’s goal, East Bengal did not panic. Sibille effected a goalline save and captain Saul Crespo, despite his tired legs, dropped back to intercept a loose ball before Dimitri Petratos could do any damage.

For the past seasons, East Bengal’s bane has been lack of strength on the bench. That also seemed to be sorted out this season. Coach Oscar Bruzon has enough options and in the 80th minute to negate Bagan’s pressure, the Spaniard brought in Vishnu PV and Souvik Chakraborti in place of Mahesh and Edmund Lalrindika. Vishnu’s speed pegged back Bagan, Souvik’s presence in the midfield gave some respite to the tiring East Bengal defence.

As the final whistle blew, East Bengal players and support staff celebrated wildly. They ran towards the East Bengal stands and soaked in the mood. By then, Salt Lake Stadium had a red and gold hue. After two years and five derbies.