FC Goa were the first ISL club to win the Durand Cup
FC Goa became the first Indian Super League club to lift the Durand Cup when they defeated Mohammedan SC 1-0 in the 2021 final at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata on 3rd October, 2021. The match was decided in extra time when captain Edu Bedia scored in the 105th minute in front of 34,000 spectators.
All-ISL participation in the Durand Cup traces back to 2019 when selected ISL teams made their debut at the 129th edition after the venue shifted to Kolkata. The 2021 title was described in the source as one of the most important trophies in FC Goa’s cabinet and it brought recognition to coach Juan Fernando, who later coached Mohun Bagan in the ISL. The Goan club’s success in 2021 is credited in the source with prompting other league clubs to strengthen their structures to compete in cup competitions.
The final started with early attacking intent from both sides: Mohammedan’s Marcus Joseph took the first shot of the game in the third minute. FC Goa created several chances during the first half but, according to the source, the Kolkata outfit’s last line of defence held firm.
Mohammedan players Romario and Nemil were noted in the source as featuring for longer periods and attempting line-breaking passes; Romario produced one of the competition’s clearer opportunities but his effort went wide. The source describes both teams as compact and disciplined throughout regular time.
The match-winner arrived deep into extra time when Edu Bedia converted a free-kick awarded just outside the Mohammedan box in the 105th minute after a foul by Milan Singh. Bedia’s strike provided the solitary goal of the final and secured the championship for FC Goa.
The source credits FC Goa’s Durand Cup triumph with creating a pathway that other ISL clubs followed into the tournament and with encouraging league sides to take cup competitions more seriously. That progression is connected in the source to broader ISL participation in the Durand Cup since 2019.
The source records that Bengaluru FC won the Durand Cup in 2022, beating Mumbai City FC 2-1 with goals from Alan Costa and Sunil Chhetri. That victory came after FC Goa’s 2021 triumph and is presented in the source as part of the sequence of ISL clubs winning the competition.
According to the source, the Durand Cup 2026 season has entered a vital stage, with eight clubs contesting four designated quarter-finals.
