Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 1-0 to retain IFA Shield, complete historic double

Riding on Samir Zeljkovic's solitary strike, Mohun Bagan Super Giant retained the IFA Shield with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over arch-rivals East Bengal in a fiercely contested Kolkata Derby at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan here on Thursday.

Bosnian midfielder Zeljkovic scored the decisive goal in the 45th minute, converting shortly before the interval to give the Mariners their 22nd IFA Shield title.

The victory also marked a historic achievement for Mohun Bagan, who completed the Calcutta Football League (CFL) and IFA Shield double in the same season for the first time in 50 years. The last time the club accomplished the feat was in 1976, under legendary coach P K Banerjee.

Zeljkovic makes the difference

It was far from a fluent performance from either side, but Mohun Bagan looked considerably more assured than they had in the Durand Cup final earlier this season, when East Bengal inflicted a 4-1 defeat on their city rivals.

Zeljkovic broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time after controlling a chipped pass from Sahal Abdul Samad on his chest before calmly slotting the ball past the East Bengal goalkeeper.

The goal gave Mohun Bagan a crucial advantage in a match that remained tightly contested after the break, with East Bengal pushing for an equaliser but failing to find a way past the Mariners' defence.

The Red-and-Gold brigade struggled to create clear-cut opportunities despite enjoying spells of possession, while Mohun Bagan maintained their defensive organisation to protect the slender lead.

East Bengal struggle upfront

East Bengal head coach Antonio Habas will be disappointed with his team's performance, particularly with the Indian Super League season scheduled to begin in a couple of days.

East Bengal had looked impressive during their run to the final but failed to reproduce that attacking fluency against their arch-rivals.

They had stormed into the title clash with a commanding 7-2 victory over NorthEast United FC in the semi-final, with David Lalhlansanga scoring a hat-trick.

Mohun Bagan, in contrast, endured a much tougher route to the final, edging past Punjab FC on penalties in the last four.

The semi-final had ended goalless after 120 minutes before the Mariners prevailed 4-3 in the shootout, with goalkeeper Vishal Kaith making a crucial contribution.

Revenge for Durand defeat

Thursday's victory gave Mohun Bagan a measure of revenge for their heavy defeat in the Durand Cup final and added another chapter to the rivalry's recent series of high-stakes encounters.

The two sides had also met in last year's IFA Shield final, when Mohun Bagan emerged victorious on penalties, making this their second successive meeting in the tournament's title clash.

The 2026 final was their fifth meeting of the year, further underlining the intensity of Indian football's biggest rivalry.

For Mohun Bagan, the Shield triumph provides a timely boost ahead of the new ISL season, while East Bengal will hope their below-par showing was only a temporary setback before the start of their title defence.

The victory also reinforces Mohun Bagan's dominance in one of Indian football's oldest competitions, with the club adding another trophy to its illustrious history.