East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan 4-1 to win Durand Cup 2026 at Salt Lake Stadium
East Bengal defeated Mohun Bagan 4-1 to claim the Durand Cup 2026 title at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Sunday, 23 August 2026. The Red & Gold Brigade raced into a 3-0 lead inside 22 minutes and finished the first half with a 4-1 advantage.
East Bengal opened the scoring through Bipin Singh in the 10th minute, before Edmund Lalrindika struck in the 11th and 22nd minutes to make it 3-0. Mohun Bagan’s Manvir Singh pulled one back in the 33rd minute, and Edmund completed his hat-trick with a goal just before half-time. The victory secured East Bengal’s 17th Durand Cup title and, according to reports, represented revenge for coach Antonio Habas against his former club.
Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Vishal Kaith had been highlighted for pivotal displays in earlier rounds, including aiding his side through two penalty shootouts in the quarterfinals and semifinals, but the article noted flaws in his final performance. Reporters observed slow positioning and reactions on multiple goals, and described him being nutmegged for Bipin Singh’s opener and potentially able to do better on Edmund’s early strikes.
Antonio Habas made specific tactical adjustments for the final, starting Edmund Lalrindika up front in place of Jesin TK and deploying Jay Gupta on the left wing. The match report credited those selections with creating uncertainty for Mohun Bagan’s defenders and allowing East Bengal to exploit open spaces on transitions by moving the ball quickly after regaining possession.
Mohun Bagan coach Panagiotis Dilmperis chose to leave Sahal Abdul Samad on the bench and started Anirudh Thapa instead, while using Samir Zeljkovic in an advanced midfield role despite the piece noting the Bosnian is more accustomed to a deeper position. The article stated those choices contributed to midfield imbalance in the first half and that the substitutions of Sahal and Miguel Figueira after the interval arrived too late to alter the outcome.
Edmund Lalrindika’s performance was singled out for effectiveness in a floating centre-forward role, with the report detailing his movement into pockets of space, accurate finishing and ability to unsettle Mohun Bagan’s defence. The article also noted Edmund had previously scored against Mohun Bagan in their 2025-26 Indian Super League meeting.
The result awarded East Bengal the Durand Cup trophy and provided a decisive derby victory over Mohun Bagan; match coverage highlighted strategic lineup changes by both managers, a standout hat-trick from Edmund Lalrindika, and criticism of Vishal Kaith’s showing in the final.
