Kolkata : As Samir Zeljkovic’s stroke the solidarity goal, Mohun Bagan Super Giant retained the IFA Shield with thrilling 1-0 victory over arch-rivals East Bengal in a fiercely contested Kolkata Derby at rain soaked Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata.
Bosnian midfielder Zeljkovic scored the decisive goal in the 45th minute, shortly before first, ultimately handed the Mariners IFA Shield 2026 title. This is the 22nd time that Mohun Bagan claimed the 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.
Mohun Bagan looked considerably more assured than they had in the Durand Cup 2026 final, when East Bengal had inflicted a 4-1 defeat.
Zeljkovic broke the shackles after controlling a chipped assist from in form Sahal Abdul Samad on his chest before slotting the ball past the East Bengal goalkeeper Lachenpa.
The goal gave Mohun Bagan a crucial advantage before half time, that remained tightly contested, with East Bengal pushing for an equaliser but failing to find a way past the Mariners’ defence.
East Bengal and head coach Antonio Habas were 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. Habas’ disappointment was evident as he didn’t attend the press conference post the loss.
Earlier, East Bengal had stormed into the final with a 7-2 win over strong 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 made things mouth watering ahead of ISL.
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 two biggest clubs amidst a jam packed stadium.
For Mohun Bagan, the Shield triumph provides a timely boost of confidence 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.
Mohun Bagan wrote a new history in 1911 defeating the East Yorkshire Regiment in what was a revolutionary win of their maiden IFA Shield title. After last year’s IFA Shield win, Bagan remained trophyless until 2026 CFL, and a deadlock was broken. IFA Shield 2026 was their 2nd consecutive trophy this season after losing Durand Cup final against East Bengal.
Mohun Bagan will now travel to Guwahati for facing NorthEast United FC on October 12 to start their ISL 2026-27 campaign. While, East Bengal have ACL 2 clash against Al-Shorta on October 13 at Yuva Bharati Krirangan. And as their captain Rashid stated, IFA Shield final was a “great preparation” for ACL 2. The Red and Yellow brigade will begin their ISL 2026-27 journey on October 18 against debutant Churchill Brothers, and would like to find a balance playing ISL and ACL 2 amidst packed schedule.
Brief Scorecard :
Mohun Bagan SG – 1 (Samir Zelikovic 45′)
East Bengal – 0.
