Kolkata, July 25: Mohun Bagan SG kicked off their 2026 Durand Cup campaign with a derby win. Taking a 1–0 lead, Mohun Bagan SG defeated East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday evening. With this result, it marked East Bengal FC head coach Antonio Habas’ first-ever defeat in a Kolkata derby. During his time with Mohun Bagan SG, he had maintained an unbeaten record in derby matches.

In the 18th minute of the match, Sahal got a chance from the centre of the box. He waited a little too long before unleashing his shot, allowing Gill to make the save. Within the next six minutes, an unusual incident took place. During a Mohun Bagan SG attack inside the box, Sahal’s shot struck Jeakson’s hand, which appeared to be a handball. However, the referee did not award anything and allowed play to continue, standing by his decision.

In the 27th minute, with a quick attack, Rohit Danu played a pass to David, who entered the box from the left. However, David took the shot before creating any real danger, Rahul Bheke intercepted it. In the final minute of regulation time, Edmund’s foul on Apuia earned Mohun Bagan SG a free-kick just outside the box, but the chance went to waste. The first half clearly showed the flaws of both teams, as the players kicked off the season with a derby after only a short period of preparation.

However, early in the second half, the first goal of the tournament arrived. After several misplaced passes by players from both teams, Mohun Bagan SG capitalised on one of them. From the right side inside the box, Kiyan Nassiri played a cut-back. Manvir Singh made a dummy move allowing Sahal to placed the ball into the net and give the Mariners a 1–0 lead.

Salah celebrating his Durand Cup 2026 goal against East Bengal with Mohun Bagan team mates

After taking the lead, Mohun Bagan SG made a few changes, bringing on more defensive players and reducing their attacking options. This gave East Bengal FC more space, and they took advantage of it. East Bengal FC began attacking more aggressively, launching one attack after another. In the 75th minute, Edmund broke forward on an open attack before being roughly challenged by Subhasish, earning his side a free-kick on the right. Debutant Dani Ramírez delivered the ball into the box, where Lalchungnunga attempted a header, but Subhasish made the clearance.

In the 79th minute, Lalchungnunga’s shot was saved by Vishal Kaith, but he failed to clear the ball. Rashid capitalised on the rebound but blasted his close-range effort over the bar. Seven minutes later, from Vishnu’s cross, Dani Ramírez attempted a shot from inside the box, but it struck the crossbar before going wide. That was not the end, as in the second minute of added time at 90+2nd minute, Rashid came close again, but Vishal Kaith produced a match-winning save to deny him.

In the end, the season’s first Kolkata derby was decided by Sahal Abdul Samad’s second-half strike as Mohun Bagan SG opened their Durand Cup 2026 campaign with a 1–0 victory. East Bengal FC kept searching for an equaliser until the final whistle, but Vishal Kaith and the Mariners’ defence stood firm.