Illish finally defeats Chingri again as East Bengal ends 22 years of Bangal pain
When a child is born into a Bengali household, one of the first tests of loyalty it has to undergo is not political, cultural, or even cinematic. It’s football.
May they grow up eating Illish in red-gold or Chingri in green-maroon, may their hearts belong to East Bengal or Mohun Bagan.
Grandfather still waxes emotional about PK Banerjee, father remembers Bhaichung Bhutia carrying East Bengal on his shoulders, and now son debates Cleiton Silva versus Dimitrios Petratos on Instagram reels and X threads.
But over the past 22 years, those emotions have often hurt East Bengal supporters much more.
The rivalry itself never lost its intensity, but the balance of success slowly shifted towards the green and maroon side of town. Mohun Bagan kept collecting league titles, ISL finals and continental nights, while East Bengal fans lived mainly in memories, nostalgia and endless memories of “kobe abar champion hobe?”
Therefore, on May 21, 2026, when the final whistle blew on the Kishore Bharati Krirangan after East Bengal’s dramatic 2-1 win over Inter Kashiyears of pain disappeared in seconds.
The fans flooded the field almost immediately. Oscar Bruzon and Youssef Ezzejjari were hoisted onto the shoulders of fans and thrown into the Calcutta night as the mosques lit up again. Flames of joy: East Bengal fans celebrate ISL win (PTI Photo)
Social networks immediately became a flood of red and gold emotions. One East Bengal supporter recorded a video looking at the sky and saying: “Baba, amra abar champion holam” – “Father, we are champions again.” His father died years ago without seeing East Bengal win another National League title after the 2003-04 National Football League triumph under Subhash Bhowmick.
Another elderly supporter, probably in his seventies, stood outside the stadium crying uncontrollably, saying: “Djibon-e shob dekhlam, kintu eta aar dekhbo bhabini” – “I have seen everything in my life, but I never thought I would see this again.”
These 22 years really were like that. An entire generation is getting older and carrying football’s woes with them almost like an inherited trauma.
The kids who last saw East Bengal as champions in 2004 are now adults. Some completed school, college, jobs, marriages and even became parents before finally watching East Bengal lift another major national league title again.
Indian football itself has gone through an era during that wait, from the Bhaichung Bhutia-Mike Okoro days under Subhash Bhowmick’s blistering intensity to the ISL generation raised on transfer rumours, meme sites and annual online derby meltdowns.
Indian football itself changed completely during that period. The National Football League has gone and the I-League has arrived. Then came the chaos and magic of the ISL era.
Yet the pain of East Bengal has somehow survived every single era.
Trevor Morgan’s side gave fans real hope during those early 2010s with magical AFC Cup nights and aggressive football that made fans dream again. Then came near misses in 2010-11 and 2013-14 before a particularly painful collapse in 2014-15 when Mohun Bagan saw them to the title. But perhaps nothing hurts like 2018-19, when Alejandro Menndez’s brilliant football side missed out on the I-League crown by just one point despite playing some of the most entertaining football the club has seen in years.
Every time East Bengal fans slowly allowed themselves to believe again, football somehow found a new new method of emotional violence.
ENTRY TO ISL
And then came the ISL years when supporting East Bengal became an annual test of loyalty.
Quess left. Shree Cement entered. The club identity changed, the badge changed, the name changed and the fans protested as many truly felt that the soul of the club was slowly disappearing within corporate football. Robbie Fowler arrived with glamor and excitement from the Premier League, but East Bengal looked tactically confused, while Mohun Bagan, after merging with ATK, instantly became a glamor powerhouse where almost every major Indian footballer suddenly wanted to play.
The contrast became brutal for the East Bengal fans.
While Mohun Bagan fielded national team stars and challenged for trophies almost every season, East Bengal struggled with transfer bans, investor disputes, administrative turmoil and constant rebuilding that lasted barely a year. Jos Manuel Daz came, then Mario Rivera, then Stephen Constantine, then Carles Cuadrat. Each season was like starting a new Football Manager save after you deleted the previous one in mid-frustration.
But the supporters somehow never disappeared.
Even during their worst years, derby days still painted Salt Lake red and gold, the mosh pits still burned and the fans still sang.
Therefore, Oscar Bruzon’s contribution is likely to remain outstanding for years to come. Several foreign coaches have passed through East Bengal during the ISL era, but Bruzon understood that this club can survive tactical mistakes, poor finishing or even poor results for a while, but it will never survive fear or passive football.
His East Bengal attacked relentlessly. Ezzejjari immediately became the solution to their forward problems after endless failed trades. Mohammed Rashid brought combative aggression to the midfield, while Miguel Figueira added the Brazilian panache and swagger that this side has sorely lacked for years. The Indian powerhouse, which has been at its best for the side this year, has seen Bipin Singh in big moments and youngsters like PV Vishnu and Edmund have started getting chants of their own.
East Bengal champions Mohun Bagan Super Giants are second. The sentence itself is not bad for an Indian football fan.
Indian football saw its best days when East Bengal and Mohun Bagan were fighting for trophies. So a return to that time that brings hope for the game in this country.
Perhaps the nicest touch of the night came after the trophy was lifted.
East Bengal players wore single stripe shirts:
“Chilam, achhi, thakbo.
“We were here. We are here. We will stay here.” East Bengal players celebrate ISL triumph with special T-shirt (PTI Photo)
After 22 years of ‘hoyto porer bochor’, East Bengal fans finally said it with pride.
– The end
Issued by:
Akshay Ramesh
Published on:
22 May 2026 09:51 IST
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