Mohun Bagan beat East Bengal 1-0 to lift IFA Shield at Salt Lake Stadium on October 8, 2026

Mohun Bagan defeated East Bengal 1-0 at the Salt Lake Stadium (Kolkata) in the IFA Shield final on Thursday, 8 October 2026. The solitary goal came from Samir Zeljkovic in the first half and was enough to secure the title for the Mariners.

The win served as revenge for Mohun Bagan’s defeat to East Bengal in the 2026 Durand Cup final. The Kolkata derby was a cagey, physical contest with momentum shifting between the sides across both halves, and East Bengal pressed repeatedly after falling behind but were unable to find an equaliser.

Mohun Bagan’s defensive structure repeatedly nullified East Bengal’s attempts to get behind the backline, preventing clear goalscoring chances on multiple occasions. The Mariners’ collective responses to threats from the Torchbearers were cited as a decisive factor in preserving the slender lead.

The entire Mohun Bagan backline was credited with doing their job superbly, with Mehtab Singh and Alberto Rodriguez singled out for particularly influential, timely defensive contributions. Those individual interventions helped the unit repel East Bengal pressure at several critical moments.

Panagiotis’ ability to shape his side into a compact defensive line paid dividends as the Mohun Bagan players worked their socks off in the rainy conditions and defended as one unit to secure the victory over East Bengal. The conditions and the team’s collective defensive effort were highlighted as central to the outcome.

Mohun Bagan’s 1-0 victory at Salt Lake Stadium clinched the 2026 IFA Shield title for the Mariners and avenged their earlier loss to East Bengal in the 2026 Durand Cup final.