East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan LIVE score: EBFC 0-1 MBSG; Sahal puts the Mariners ahead; Latest updates from Durand Cup 2026

It’s all East Bengal at the moment as the ball bounces on the edge of the box with Rashid arriving to hit it on the volley. Tangri, however, comes in with a brave sliding challenge to make a block.

And now looks like Mohun Bagan is dipping into the dark arts as Mehtab Singh takes his own sweet time for a throw-in on the far side.

Mohun Bagan: Bose and Liston are replaced by Rodriguez and Sayan.

Here comes East Bengal on the attack, and Edmund finds Chungnunga on the right side of the box. He takes a powerful shot from a tight angle, forcing Kaith to make a strong save.

The East Bengal full-back does well to head the rebound back into the middle, where Rashid arrives. He takes a good touch to bring the ball under control but should have kept his composure for the shot as he sent it sailing over the bar from close range.

Play resumes. Will Habas’ words help East Bengal get atleast a point from this game?

And now the play is paused for the second half cooling break.

Edmund does well to turn away from Subhasish and tries to go through on goal, but the Mohun Bagan skipper pulls him to the ground.

He knows what he was doing and calmly accepts a yellow card from the referee.

Now a chance for East Bengal as Edmund dribbles into the box before faking a shot with his left. He then tries to hit with his right but is quickly closed down by opposition players, who frantically clear the ball away.

Vishnu recycles the ball and takes a shot from the edge of the box, forcing Kaith to make a good low save before the ball is cleared away once and for all.

East Bengal: David Hmar is replaced by Ramirez.

Mohun Bagan: Manvir is replaced by Suhail.

Jeakson gets the ball in his own half and tries to find Vishnu with a ball over the top, but ends up sending it straight out for a throw-in. Antonio Habas is visibly frustrated on the sidelines and is pushing his team to do better.

Tangri tries to play Manvir through on goal, but the flag immediately goes up for offside. Looks like the Indian forward is still adjusting to life alongside new signing Drazic.

Mohun Bagan is still enjoying most of the ball and will be eager to get a second, knowing that East Bengal is more than capable of finding a way to get something out of this game.

Mohun Bagan: Sahal and Nassiri are replaced by Drazic and Tangri.

Anwar Ali wins the ball in the middle of the pitch and plays it to Bipin on the right. He cuts to his left and takes an ambitious shot from way out, send the ball well over the frame of the goal.

East Bengal: Rohit Kumar and Rohit Danu are replaced by Rashid and PV Vishnu.

East Bengal is looking to respond quickly as David Hmar skips past Tekcham to get into the box from the left. But the Mohun Bagan fullback does well to recover and stick a leg out to send the ball out for a corner.

And now it looks like East Bengal is going to make some changes as Antonio Lopez Habas gives instructions to PV Vishnu on the sidelines.

Sahal scores!! Mohun Bagan’s pressing works wonders!

Kiyan Nassiri does brilliantly to press high and win the ball on the edge of the East Bengal box. The youngster gets into the area and heads to the byline before squaring it across the six-yard box. 

Manvir tries a backheel flick but misses the ball, allowing it to come to Sahal in behind, who has the empty net to put the ball into.

And the Mariners draw first blood!

​

Durand Cup 2026 — Is there extra-time and penalty shootout if East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Super Giant ends in draw?

The Durand Cup 2026 kicked off on Saturday with the iconic Kolkata Derby clash between EBFC and MBSG, but neither team could find a goal in the first 45 minutes.

​

Three points here will be vital for both sides, as only the six group winners advance to the quarterfinals along with the two-best placed runners-up.

Jay Gupta wins the ball in his own half and goes on a run down the far side before playing a through ball to Rohit Danu.

But his pass ended up being too heavy and Bheke manages to deal with it easily.

And East Bengal is looking to strike early as Bipin is played through on the right side. He puts in a cross, which is once again dealt with easily by the Mohun Bagan defence.

East Bengal kicks off the second half, shooting from left to right.

No changes for either side at the break.

A pretty evenly contested match with Mohun Bagan having more of the ball while East Bengal looked threatening in spells. 

Neither side has had any clear sight at goal, with the players’ rustiness very evident, although the intensity remains.

Both defences have been on top of their game, doing extremely well to thwart away awa.y any attack that has come their way. 

A bit more sharpness in the final third and we might get to see some goals in the second half, especially with both teams having plenty of reinforcements on the bench to call upon.

And there goes the whistle for half-time!

Liston once again stands over the ball.

He shoots, and the ball takes a deflection off the wall and goes wide of the right post. Gill will be letting out a sigh of relief that the touch did not keep the ball on target as he was rooted to the ground, seeing the ball go out of play.

Mohun Bagan gets a free kick in a good shooting position after Apuia is pushed in the back by Edmund.

Liston whips the ball in from the right corner. 

Manvir manages to reach it, but somehow his header sends the ball out of the box, where Edmund manages to draw a foul from Thapa.

East Bengal is having a good spell on the ball. Can the ISL champion break the deadlock before the break?

Bipin with a lovely weighted touch to play Chungnunga through on the right wing.

The full-back puts in a cross, which is headed away for a corner by Mehtab, who once again shows very good positional awareness.

Kiyan Nassiri becomes the first player to go into the book after he showed dissent towards the referee for not giving him a foul.

Tekcham finds Sahal on the right edge of the box, and the midfielder holds off his man before advancing and taking a shot from a tight angle.

However, it does not trouble Gill as the ball ends up rattling the side netting.

Apuia thought that he had won the ball cleanly from David Hmar in the middle of the pitch before trying to counter. 

But he is pulled back by the referee who had a good look at the challenge.

And we are back as the players return to the pitch.

And now the play is paused for the cooling break, a practice which will be implemented on a match-by-match basis, depending on the conditions.

Hopefully it’s not three minutes long like we saw in the FIFA World Cup 2026.

David Hmar is played through into the box, and he cuts to his right before taking a shot. But Rahul Bheke comes in with a brilliant sliding challenge to make a vital block and push the ball away for a corner.

Sahal plays Manvir through on the right before making his way into the box. The forward returns the favour by picking out Sahal with a cross. 

The midfielder takes a touch and hits the ball on the half-volley, only to see the shot stopped by Jeakson’s right hand. But the arm was by his side, and the referee has a good look before waving away appeals from Sahal.

Bipin has the ball again on the right, and this time he puts in a cross with his left, trying to find Rohit Danu at the far post. 

But his attempt is heavy, and the ball ends up going straight out for an East Bengal goal kick.

A long ball is played over to Bipin on the right wing, and he has space to run into. He looks up and tries to pick out a pass inside the box, but Mehtab does well to get his positioning right and launches the ball away from danger.

Now Sahal has the ball for Mohun Bagan inside the box. He turns and lashes his left foot at the ball but cannot generate enough power, allowing Gill to make an easy save.

Mohun Bagan is having a good spell of possession now as the ball is moved from end to end, looking for an opening. Kiyan gets it on the right wing and cuts back a pass into the middle. But once again the East Bengal defence cuts off the pass and clears the danger.

Mohun Bagan gets a free kick in the middle of the pitch after Jeakson catches Apuia with a late challenge.

A chance for Mohun Bagan now as Thapa sends in a cross from the right. But the East Bengal defence holds its ground well and manages to clear the ball away from danger.

The game has turned a bit scrappy now after a lively start, with both teams continuously exchanging possession, especially in the middle of the pitch.

Manvir comes back and collects the ball before being played in through on the right side of the box. He puts in a wayward cross which finds no takers inside the box, with the ball eventually going out for a throw-in on the far side.

Liston takes over the duties of the setpiece, and he goes for goal instead of choosing to cross. But he should have done better as he fails to keep the ball under the bar.

Mohun Bagan gets a free kick on the left side of the box after being pulled to the ground by Bipin. Can the Mariners make use of this opportunity?

Rohit Danu gets the ball outside the box and tries his luck with a low shot. But Kaith had it covered and ends up making an easy save.

A nice and open start to the Derby!

Another setpiece chance for East Bengal as Bipin stands over a free kick on the left side of the pitch. 

But he should have done better as the ball curls out for a goal kick.

East Bengal gets an early corner, and Bipin whips the ball in from the left. David gets a header on it but fails to keep the effort on target.

What a fixture to kick off the Indian football season. The defending ISL champion is taking on the record winners of the Durand Cup.

And already we have a stoppage in play as Subhasish is caught in the face by David Hmar’s elbow.

And here we go! Mohun Bagan kicks off the match as well as the Durand Cup, shooting from left to right.

The ball is being carried into the stadium by members of the Indian Army.

And now the players are making their way in, with Anwar Ali wearing the captain’s armband for the Red and Gold Brigade while Subhasish Bose leads the Mariners.

East Bengal and Mohun Bagan last faced off in the Indian Super League in May.

The top two teams in the ISL went neck-to-neck in the contest, and late fireworks by Edmund Lalrindika and Jason Cummings ensured the rivals shared the spoils in a 1-1 draw.

Gill (gk), Anwar, Mandi, Jay, Chungnunga, Jeakson, Rohit, David, Danu, Bipin, Edmund 

Established in 1888, the Durand Cup is the oldest football tournament in Asia and the third-oldest football cup competition in the world. 

Organised by the Indian Armed Forces, it traditionally marks the beginning of the Indian domestic football season.

The 2026 edition features 24 teams, including clubs from the Indian Super League, I-League, I-League 2, the Armed Forces and Sri Lankan side Defenders FC.

The teams have been divided into six groups of four. The six group winners and the two best second-placed teams will qualify for the quarterfinals.

Played – 401

Mohun Bagan – 131

East Bengal – 141

Draws – 129

Looks like the new head coach is using the game to gauge the quality of his Indian players as he names an all-Indian starting lineup, but a strong one nonetheless. 

The backline contains the likes of Subhasish Bose and Rahul Bheke, who bring a wealth of experience, a trend that is seen across the pitch with Anirudh Thapa, Sahal Abdul Samad, Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh filling up space in midfield and attack.

Kaith (gk), Subhasish, Bheke, Mehtab, Tekcham, Apuia, Thapa, Sahal, Kiyan, Liston, Manvir

The new season of Indian football gets underway with the iconic Kolkata Derby as Mohun Bagan Super Giant takes on traditional rival East Bengal in the opening Group A fixture of Durand Cup 2026 at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.

As one of the oldest football tournaments in the world, the 135th edition of the Durand Cup fittingly begins with Indian football’s biggest and oldest rivalry. East Bengal enters the competition as the reigning Indian Super League champion, while Mohun Bagan, the runner-up, will be eager to make a winning start to the new campaign.

East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan preview — Kolkata giants face off in Durand Cup 2026 opener

The 2026 edition of the Durand Cup is set to kick off with a bang as East Bengal takes on Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday.

Welcome to Sportstar’s live blog of the East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Super Giant Durand Cup 2026 Group A clash being played at the Salt Lake Stadium.