Mohun Bagan SG beat East Bengal 1-0 at Salt Lake to lift IFA Shield; Samir Zeljkovic scores late first-half winner

On October 8, 2026, Mohun Bagan SG defeated East Bengal FC 1-0 in the IFA Shield final at the Salt Lake Stadium, with Samir Zeljkovic scoring the only goal late in the first half.

Mohun Bagan secured their 22nd IFA Shield title and, according to the match report, appeared a marked improvement on their showing in the Durand Cup final earlier this year despite the game not being particularly attractive. Prabsukhan Singh Gill was rested after returning from national duties, so Phurba Lachenpa started in goal for East Bengal.

Lachenpa produced a number of saves, including stops from long-range attempts by Sahal Abdul Samad and Lallianzuala Chhangte, but still conceded the single goal and was judged to have room for improvement between the posts; the defence was described as sharing responsibility for the goal.

At right-back, Hardik Bhatt began the game well but was criticised after Mohun Bagan’s goal for being slow to recover and allowing space on counterattacks. Center-back Diego Zivulic was described as out of touch, contributing little in attack and failing to cope defensively against Chhangte, Sahal and Lee Erwin, while LalchungNunga was also rated poorly for lacking pace and having a substandard outing alongside Zivulic.

Sandip Mandi was noted as a decent, offensively minded left back who wasted chances going forward and showed defensive fragility before being replaced by PV Vishnu in the second half. Midfielder Jay Gupta was said to have been almost lost in the game after some initial build-ups and was substituted in the second half for Lukasz Zwolinski.

Rashid was credited with positive moments early and in the second half, including long-range attempts, but overall operated mainly as a third defensive partner with Zivulic and Nunga and then began making mistakes. Jeakson Singh was reported as not at his best, looking out of place in midfield and being outclassed by Zeljkovic and Sahal.

Daniel Ramirez Fernandez was given a 7/10 rating, described as East Bengal’s highest-rated player; the report says he worked in midfield, made forward runs and created chances for Edmund and Bipin, though he was also described as wasteful in attack and lacking midfield creativity before being substituted. Wide players Bipin and Edmund were criticised for lack of accuracy—Edmund had an early attempt saved by Vishal Kaith and was later substituted—while Lukasz Zwolinski, introduced from the bench, had moments including a header and other shots saved by Vishal Kaith.

Ake Loba, PV Vishnu and Chris Ikonomidis all came off the bench in the second half; the match report states their contributions did not alter the scoreline, with Ikonomidis sending a few crosses into the penalty area but failing to deliver a decisive impact.

With the Indian Super League due to begin in a few days, the report says East Bengal and head coach Antonio Habas will be dissatisfied with the performance and that Habas will be hoping the defeat is only a minor setback before East Bengal starts its title defence.