East Bengal seek revenge against Mohun Bagan in 135th Durand Cup final at Salt Lake Stadium

East Bengal FC will seek to avenge its only defeat of the season when it meets Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the final of the 135th Durand Cup at Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. The Kolkata Derby returns to the venue where this edition began four weeks ago.

The tournament opened with the derby, which Mohun Bagan won 1-0 on July 25, with Sahal Abdul Samad scoring the decisive goal in the second half. That result remains East Bengal’s sole loss of the campaign; since then they have recorded 8-0 and 5-0 wins in the group stage. East Bengal then beat Indian Army 1-0 in the quarterfinal and advanced past Sporting Club Delhi via a tie-breaker after a goalless semifinal.

Mohun Bagan have remained unbeaten through their run to the final. After the opening victory over East Bengal they defeated South United FC 8-0 and CISF Protectors 6-0, then progressed through two knockout games — against Jamshedpur FC and NorthEast United FC — on penalties.

Defensively the two finalists are on near-identical terms, each having conceded just once in six matches. Mohun Bagan have scored 16 goals compared with East Bengal’s 14, giving the Mariners a slight attacking edge. East Bengal’s progression through tight knockout games has also tested their resilience and shaped the matchup for the final.

This will be the 13th Durand Cup final meeting between the rivals; they have each won five finals against the other, while two finals ended with them as joint winners. Record 17-time champion Mohun Bagan can move to 18 titles with a victory, while East Bengal can draw level on 17.

The two clubs meet in the Durand Cup final at Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday for the 135th edition’s title, with the winner lifting the trophy.