135th Durand Cup: Kolkata Derby To Decide Title As Arch-rivals Face Off In Final

135th Durand Cup: Kolkata Derby to decide title as arch-rivals face off in final (Image Source: IANS)

Mohun Bagan Super Giant: Asia’s oldest football tournament will be decided by the outcome of the country's most cherished and storied rivalry as Mohun Bagan Super Giant will take on East Bengal in the final of the 135th Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Sunday.

The line-up of the final also means the tournament returns to where it began four weeks ago as East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan faced off at the same venue in the opener.

Mohun Bagan won the opening match of the tournament, and East Bengal have spent the intervening weeks seeking a way to reverse that result when it matters most.

The 135th edition began on July 25 with Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC drawing first blood in Group A. Sahal Abdul Samad’s second-half strike settled a tight, tactically cagey derby 1-0 in the Mariners’ favour. It remains the only defeat East Bengal have suffered in the campaign.

Everything else in their run to the final has been won, and won convincingly, giving Sunday’s rematch a clear narrative: Mohun Bagan arrive as the sole unbeaten side left standing, while East Bengal arrive with the sharpest motive to correct the one result that got away.

The paths that brought both clubs back to Salt Lake Stadium reveal contrasting rhythms.

Bagan swept through Group A with a perfect record, following the derby win with an 8-0 demolition of South United FC, Manvir Singh’s hat-trick the headline act before sealing top spot with a 6-0 victory over CISF Protectors, in which Sahal claimed a first-half hat-trick of his own.

East Bengal’s response to their opening defeat was emphatic: an 8-0 rout of CISF Protectors marked Antonio López Habas’s first win as head coach, followed by a 5-0 success against South United FC that secured passage as one of the two best runners-up across the six groups.

The knockout rounds posed sterner tests, and each side answered differently. East Bengal required a 38th-minute goal from PV Vishnu to edge Indian Army FT 1-0 in the quarter-final, then needed a penalty shoot-out to overcome Sporting Club Delhi after a goalless semi-final.

Mohun Bagan’s route proved no less tense: a 1-1 draw with Jamshedpur FC in the quarterfinal went to a marathon penalty shootout that the Mariners won 9-8, before a goalless, rain-affected semi-final against defending champions NorthEast United FC was settled from the spot, with Vishal Kaith’s saves from Robin Yadav and Parthib Gogoi sending Mohun Bagan through 4-3 on penalties.

The numbers heading into Sunday's clash underline extraordinary defensive control on both sides. Mohun Bagan have scored 16 goals and conceded just once across six matches; East Bengal have scored 14 and conceded only once, that solitary goal coming in the opening derby.

Mohun Bagan’s slightly superior scoring return—built on emphatic group-stage victories rather than knockout fireworks—affords them a marginal statistical edge. Yet East Bengal’s capacity to grind out low-scoring, high-pressure knockout ties points to a side that has learned to win ugly when required, a quality that could prove equally valuable in a final of this magnitude.

Sunday’s final will be the 13th meeting between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan in a Durand Cup showpiece, a rivalry stretching back through the decades of the tournament’s post-independence history.

The two clubs enter locked at five final victories apiece, with two further finals—separated by decades—ending in the sides being declared joint champions, underlining how finely balanced this fixture has historically been at the last hurdle. The most recent instalment came in 2023, when Dimitrios Petratos’s 71st-minute strike helped ten-man Mohun Bagan edge East Bengal 1-0.

A title context overlays everything else. Mohun Bagan arrive as the record 17-time Durand Cup champions, with the chance to extend that lead to 18 and further cement their status as the tournament’s most successful club. East Bengal, on 16 titles, have the opportunity to draw level with their oldest rivals.

Sahal has been the individual story of Mohun Bagan’s campaign: he scored the winner in the opening derby, then added a hat-trick against CISF Protectors, marking him as the fulcrum of Panagiotis Dilmperis’s attack.

Manvir Singh has provided a reliable second scoring outlet, his own hat-trick against South United FC underlining the side’s attacking depth, while goalkeeper Vishal Kaith has repeatedly proved the difference in the biggest moments; his semi-final shootout saves are the latest evidence of a goalkeeper who thrives when matches go to penalties.

East Bengal’s progress has been built on similarly identifiable figures. Captain Mohammed Basim Rashid has shouldered the creative and set-piece burden, striking the crossbar twice in the semi-final alone before converting the winning penalty in the shootout.

Prabhsukhan Singh Gill has mirrored Kaith’s importance at the opposite end, saving one penalty in normal time and another in the shoot-out against SC Delhi to keep East Bengal’s campaign alive.

Mohun Bagan’s options have been sharpened further by two new arrivals: Brazilian midfielder Miguel Figueira, who arrived from their arch-rival East Bengal, and India international winger Lallianzuala Chhangte. Both registered for the knockouts and were introduced from the bench in the semi-final victory over NorthEast United FC; they give Dilmperis fresh attacking alternatives should the final demand a change of tempo.

The tactical contest is a study in contrasts. Habas has constructed East Bengal around defensive organisation and patience, ceding the ball where it does not hurt before striking on the counter through pace out wide—a blueprint reflected in his recruitment and evident in the way East Bengal absorbed pressure against Indian Army FT and SC Delhi before finding their moments through PV Vishnu’s pace and Rashid’s set-pieces.

Habas, however, has stressed that the occasion itself cannot be allowed to dictate the approach. “The Kolkata Derby is a uniquely special match in India, but we have to approach it like any other game. In fixtures of this magnitude, you don't need any extra motivation; you simply need to control your emotions for the full 90 minutes. There are no excuses. Ultimately, the team that plays with more intelligence on the pitch will win the match.”

Dilmperis has asked more of his side in possession without sacrificing defensive solidity. Mohun Bagan’s group-stage form—three wins, 15 goals, none conceded—reflects a team committing men forward while holding its shape, dictating territory rather than waiting to counter.

The Mohun Bagan head coach also believes the mental side of the contest will be decisive. “East Bengal has undeniable quality and experience, but we are looking to finish this game in 90 minutes. We have a lot of experience in our squad, but in a match like this, experience alone is not enough. If you don't play with passion, it becomes a problem. These games are won in the mental battle, and tomorrow we have to master our emotions to get the win.”

For Samir Zeljkovic, the final will bring a first taste of the Kolkata Derby. The Mohun Bagan player said: “Tomorrow will be my first Derby, and I am incredibly proud to be a part of the biggest game in Indian football. We are adjusting well, improving every day, and our only focus is on winning the trophy.”

The Mohun Bagan head coach also believes the mental side of the contest will be decisive. “East Bengal has undeniable quality and experience, but we are looking to finish this game in 90 minutes. We have a lot of experience in our squad, but in a match like this, experience alone is not enough. If you don't play with passion, it becomes a problem. These games are won in the mental battle, and tomorrow we have to master our emotions to get the win.”

Either way, Sunday promises a fitting climax — the same two clubs, the same ground, with history and Kolkata bragging rights resting on 90 minutes, and perhaps penalties once more.

Article Source: IANS