Zeljkovic shines as Mohun Bagan defeat East Bengal to clinch IFA Shield

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.

This is the 22nd time that Mohun Bagan claimed the prestigious tournament and after nearly five decades that they have won the Calcutta Football League (CFL) and IFA Shield in same season. Last time they achieved the feat, late PK Banerjee was the coach in the year 1976.

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 had 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 game that remained tightly contested after the break, with East Bengal pushing for an equaliser but failing to find a way past the Mariners' defence.

East Bengal and head coach Antonio Habas will be disappointed with the performance, particularly with the Indian Super League season set to begin in a couple of days. The Red-and-Gold brigade had looked impressive in their run to the final but struggled to reproduce that attacking fluency against their arch-rivals.

East Bengal had stormed into the final with a 7-2 demolition of NorthEast United FC in the semi-final, with David Lalhlansanga scoring a hat-trick.

Mohun Bagan, in contrast, had to endure a much tougher route, 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 key contribution.

The victory also gave Mohun Bagan a measure of revenge for their Durand Cup final defeat and extended the rivalry's recent run of high-stakes encounters.

The two sides had also met in last year's IFA Shield final, with Mohun Bagan winning on penalties, and Thursday's contest marked 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.

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