“We knew we could fight with eyes closed”, blood-soaked Dejan Drazic makes brave statement after Mohun Bagan’s IFA Shield 2026 victory

Kolkata : Mohun Bagan SG defeated arch rivals East Bengal in IFA Shield 2026 Final 1-0 at Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata.

Apart from Samir Zeljkovic’s lone goal in 45th minute, another tragic incident took place in the game that almost paused heart beats of every fans. Mohun Bagan player Dejan Drazic suffered a head injury in the 55th minute of the match, blood flowed profusely. But his morale did not diminish. His hunger for victory did not diminish and pain of defeat with this familiar opponent in Durand Cup 2026 was still there in his heart.

Mohun Bagan head coach Panos dropped Drazic into the first eleven for Miguel in the midfield. The Serbian star maintained the coach’s standards. He walked around the field with a head injury. At the press conference, the Mohun Bagan coach jokingly said, ‘Drazic’s performance is better after his head was cracked. His spirit increases even more.’

Although Panos said the words in a joking manner, he was not wrong. In fact, that is true. The white bandage on his head turned red with blood flow in an instant. Still, Drazic remained steadfast in his goal fighting for crest of Mohun Bagan.

Before the match, everyone thought Mohun Bagan was an underdog. In the semi-final, they somehow won on a tiebreaker. On the other hand, East Bengal scored seven goals against North East. In short, Antonio Habas’ team was the favorite. How much pressure did this put on the Bagan footballers? Drazic said, “First of all, I want to congratulate East Bengal. They also played well. I watched the East Benga NorthEast match that day. I didn’t think of the match as a seven-goal match. I knew that the derby had nothing to do with that match. Before playing against East Bengal, we didn’t think about anything else. We knew that we could fight with our eyes closed. We knew that we had to maintain our focus before the derby.”

The Serbian admitted that there was a bit of tension creeping in before the match, along with confidence. Drazic said, “In such a match, you don’t just score goals and attack, you also have to defend together. I play according to the coach’s instructions. I know this is the biggest derby in India. The Indian players played the Kolkata League. They gave their best. They became champions. The task is not easy. There was a little tension between us. But this victory before the ISL will boost our morale.”

This time, they face a tougher challenge. The first match of the ISL is on Monday. The opponent is North East. How does the Bagan star view this challenge? Drazic said, ‘We are not thinking like this. Our goal is to win all the trophies. ISL, Super Cup, everything. I will tell the fans to be by our side. Their support is very important. They are the ones who give us confidence in difficult times.’ Ignoring the headache, the best footballer of the Shield final took a selfie in a cheerful mood after the press conference.

A smile also appeared on the face of Panos. Feel-good atmosphere was there in Bagan camp – a much positive side ahead of their ISL campaign on October 12.