Mohun Bagan exact revenge as a tired East Bengal miss out on the IFA Shield final

Something was missing in the Kolkata Derby on Thursday night. The noise was there, the opportunity was there and so was the history between East Bengal and Mohun Bagan. But the energy that usually makes this device feel different wasn’t there.

Perhaps it was inevitable. India have just completed a three-match international window against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, with the last of these matches taking place on October 6. Two days later, some of those players were back at the Salt Lake Stadium, this time wearing club colors in the IFA Shield final.

It turned out, especially for East Bengal.

The first warning came early. Edmund Lalrindika, who scored a hat-trick against Mohun Bagan in the Durand Cup final less than two months ago, found himself in front of goal. He was the same player who was merciless in that August final, deciding almost before defenders could react. Here there was a hesitation and the chance disappeared.

It was not an isolated moment. East Bengal had the ball for long stretches but their attacks lacked the sharpness that was so evident in their 7-2 semi-final win over NorthEast United. Fresh off international duty, Jay Gupta has also not had his usual spring. There were times when the East Bengal players were looking at the ball a fraction slower and those small differences started to add up.

Mohun Bagan, meanwhile, seemed to understand exactly what this game required. Panagiotis Dilmperis’s party was not interested in settling for holding East Bengal just for the sake of it. They were happy to sit back, move when the ball traveled and wait for their opportunities rather than wasting energy.

East Bengal reached the final after an emphatic semi-final where David Lalhlansanga scored a hat-trick in a 7-2 win over NorthEast United. Mohun Bagan embarked on a more grueling journey, going 120 minutes without a goal against Punjab FC before Vishal Kaith saved two penalties in the shootout. So neither side came into the final completely fresh, and with an international window sitting between the two games, blur was always likely to matter.

But it was Mohun Bagan who found the moment East Bengal could not.

Samir Zeljkovic put the Mariners ahead in the first half and suddenly the game belonged even more to the side willing to give up possession. East Bengal were now forced to chase, while Mohun Bagan could simply continue with what they had been doing so far.

MOHUN BAGAN MISSED THAT GAME

There was some intelligence in the way Mohun Bagan played after taking the lead.

East Bengal continued to have more of the ball but the Dilmperis players were rarely drawn into a frenetic contest. They kept their shape, protected the central areas and allowed East Bengal to circulate possessions in front of them.

This made the task increasingly difficult for Habas’s side. The ball was moving, but the game wasn’t. East Bengal might have made it into the final third, yet the final pass or decision was often lacking. Edmund’s early miss set the tone, and the same insecurity appeared elsewhere.

The contrast with the semi-final was striking. Against North East United, East Bengal attacked quickly and convincingly. David was ruthless, the support players arrived quickly and the foreign attackers added another layer of pressure. Against Mohun Bagan, every move seemed to require an extra touch.

Habas also had a selection dilemma after David’s hat-trick. The forward was the clear hero of the semi-final and kicked off the final, while Edmund continued to look to reproduce the determination that made him the star of the Durand Cup final.

Mohun Bagan did not have to complicate the game. They had the lead and East Bengal had to find a way.

EAST BENGAL HAD THE BALL, NOT THE PIECE

The second half took place in a very similar vein.

East Bengal had possession and kept trying to push Mohun Bagan back. But the Mariners defended comfortably without the ball and the longer the game went on, the more difficult it became for East Bengal to find space.

Substitution didn’t make much of a difference. East Bengal have turned to their foreign options, including Ake Loba and Lukasz Zwolinski, in the hope of recreating some of the attacking threat they produced in the semi-final. But there was little space for either to make the impact they did against North East United.

This was partly because Mohun Bagan had no reason to open the game.

They didn’t rush to settle. East Bengal was.

So whenever the red and gold side pushed forward, Mohun Bagan could wait for the right moment to break rather than commit numbers unnecessarily. It wasn’t the most spectacular way to play the final, but it was effective.

And East Bengal just couldn’t turn their territorial advantage into enough clean-cut chances.

There was a lot of movement around the box. There were crosses, half chances and attempts to work the ball into better positions. But the final action kept getting shorter.

For a team that had scored seven in the previous game, East Bengal looked remarkably toothless.

THE INTERNATIONAL WINDOW WAS SEEN

It would be too simplistic to attribute the result to fatigue. Mohun Bagan also came through a tough semi-final with both teams playing their second match in as many days.

But the international calendar clearly had complicated things.

The last match of India’s window was against Uruguay on 6 October. The players returned to their clubs almost immediately, with the Shield final following on 8 October. Jay Gupta was among the East Bengal players who were involved in India, while Edmund also featured during the international run.

The difference wasn’t that they suddenly looked incapable of playing football. It was in the little things. The recovery run was not that fast. The first touch was not so clean. The decision, which usually comes instinctively, took another second.

At this level, it’s the latter that matters.

East Bengal also expended considerably more energy in their semi-final than Mohun Bagan did in theirs. The 7-2 against NorthEast United was spectacular, but it also meant a much more open and physical game. Mohun Bagan’s 120-minute battle with Punjab was grueling in a different way, but the Mariners managed to slow the final down considerably once they took the lead.

That suited them.

This did not suit East Bengal.

THE REFEREE DID NOT HELP

Another known problem occurred during the night.

After watching the action of the international umpires during India’s tri-match series against Panama, Brazil and Uruguay, the level of domestic refereeing felt like another noticeable drop.

The match was not decided by the umpire and East Bengal cannot point to officiating as the reason for the loss. Their biggest problem was the poor final third. But there were enough questionable calls and inconsistent moments to make the umpire’s level part of the conversation.

The contrast was especially apparent as the players had just spent the previous few weeks operating in an international environment. The pace, physicality and expectations were different and the home final did not quite match that standard.

It was another part of an evening in which the overall level was below what both teams are capable of producing.

Neither side looked at full strength.

And given the circumstances, it was understandable.

MOHUN BAGAN HAS THE LAST WORD

East Bengal did not stop trying.

As the clock ticked into added time, they threw the ball forward and eventually earned back-to-back corners. It was the kind of late push that can turn a quiet final on its head, especially in a Kolkata Derby where one lost ball can change everything.

But Mohun Bagan managed it.

The final whistle ended a game that largely followed the pattern established after Zeljković’s goal. East Bengal had possession. Mohun Bagan led. The Mariners had little interest in changing that equation.

It was a much-needed response to the Durand Cup final for Dilmperis.

This 4-1 defeat was entirely East Bengal’s, with Edmund scoring three times and Habas’ side running away with the trophy. This time there was no replay. Mohun Bagan found their target and then played the final on their own terms.

There was a rematch of the Durand Cup and another piece of silverware after last season’s IFA Shield triumph over the same opponents on penalties.

But perhaps even greater was how little separated the two sides on a night when neither seemed capable of producing their best football.

East Bengal had most of the possession but Mohun Bagan had a better grasp of the game. They knew when to press, when to sit, and perhaps most importantly, when not to waste energy.

The timing of the finale made freshness a luxury. The international window has just ended, the semi-finals have taken a lot from both teams and the new ISL season is just days away.

So this will never be the prettiest derby in Kolkata.

It was simply about who could find enough to win.

Mohun Bagan did it.

And after the humiliation of the Durand Cup, they leave the Salt Lake Stadium with the IFA Shield, bragging rights and the last word.

– The end