Mohun Bagan Super Giant began their 2026-27 campaign with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over arch-rivals East Bengal FC in the opening fixture of the 135th Durand Cup at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium) in Kolkata on Saturday. Sahal Abdul Samad's 52nd-minute winner separated the sides in a Kolkata Derby that also marked the competitive debuts of new head coaches Panagiotis Dilmperis and Antonio Lopez Habas.
Both managers opted for all-Indian starting XIs with several overseas recruits being available only recently after joining pre-season late. Dilmperis deployed Mohun Bagan in a fluid 4-3-3 that often shifted into a 4-2-3-1, relying on the midfield trio of Anirudh Thapa, Apuia and Sahal to dictate possession, while Kiyan Nassiri and Manvir Singh stretched East Bengal's defence from the flanks. Habas, meanwhile, set East Bengal up in a compact 4-4-2, looking to absorb pressure before launching quick counter-attacks through David Lalhlansanga and Bipin Singh.
Mohun Bagan controlled much of the opening period, pinning East Bengal deep inside their own half. The Mariners appealed for a penalty in the 25th minute after a long-range effort appeared to strike an East Bengal defender's hand, but the referee waved away the claims. East Bengal responded two minutes later when David Lalhlansanga cut inside and fired goalwards, only for his effort to be blocked inside the penalty area.
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Despite Mohun Bagan registering 10 shots in the opening 45 minutes, East Bengal's disciplined defensive shape ensured the sides went into the interval level with the scores still locked at 0-0.
The breakthrough arrived seven minutes into the second half. Kiyan Nassiri beat his marker on the right wing before drilling a low cross across the six-yard box, where Sahal Abdul Samad timed his run perfectly to tap home from close range and hand Mohun Bagan the lead.
Trailing for the first time, East Bengal pushed more players forward and introduced fresh legs in attack. The tactical shift created more space for Mohun Bagan on the counter, while the contest became increasingly physical in midfield.
East Bengal came agonisingly close to drawing level in the 82nd minute when a curling effort from outside the box beat Vishal Kaith but crashed off the post. Four minutes later, Mohammed Rashid looked set to equalise from inside the area, only for Deepak Tangri to produce a superb sliding block that preserved Mohun Bagan's advantage.
The Mariners saw out five minutes of stoppage time to secure all three points and move to the top of Group A after the opening round of fixtures. The victory puts Mohun Bagan in control of their qualification hopes, with wins over CISF Protectors and South United FC enough to seal a place in the quarter-finals. East Bengal, meanwhile, are left with little margin for error and will likely need victories in their remaining two group matches and hope other results go their way to keep their knockout hopes alive.
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