IFA Shield final: East Bengal & Mohun Bagan resume rivalry with bruised ego and another title up for grabs

Kolkata: After playing host to India’s unprecedented brush with full-strength Brazil and Uruguay in two Fifa friendlies, it’s time for normal service to resume in the city’s traditional football-scape.East Bengal FC and Mohun Bagan SG will return to the refurbished Salt Lake Stadium for another derby on Thursday — the fourth one between them across tournaments so far in this season and with the IFA Shield title now up for grabs.A year ago, Mohun Bagan edged their arch-rivals on penalties in the final. However, for the defending champions, it’s the memories of another final, held at the same venue one-and-an-half month ago, which seem to be more on their mind than anything else.Panagiotis Dilmperis began his stint with Bagan with a derby win in the Durand Cup but East Bengal — also under a new coach in Antonio Lopez Habas — settled the score when it mattered most, brushing them aside 4-1 in the final.That Aug 23 scoreline in the Durand final was put on the table during the teams’ pre-match news conferences at a city hotel on Wednesday and both coaches approached them with their own perspectives.“It's a derby. It's a game for our ego, our reputation and for our fans. At least we should do our best. And when the game is finished, we shouldn't put up an excuse that we’ve not given our best and done our job properly and without heart,” Panagiotis told reporters.“We are ready, 100% ready for the final. We are preparing to play a different match, a match absolutely different than the last final (in Durand Cup),” Habas made his mind clear.The two teams’ road to the final is also different. While Mohun Bagan had to rely on goalkeeper Vishal Kaith’s heroics to get past Punjab FC in the semifinal, East Bengal blew away NorthEast United FC 7-2 on the back of David Lalhlansanga’s hat-trick to ensure the repeat of last year’s final.Both teams are expected to go full throttle against each other welcoming their respective national players back in the fold. Panagiotis hopes that the arrival of Anirudh Thapa, who scored against Uruguay, Manvir Singh and Apuia will provide his tea with a new stability and dimension.Habas, on the other hand, will take a late call on the availability of the likes of defender Anwar Ali, Jay Gupta, midfielder Jeakson Singh and goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill.Highlighting the need of “coordinating” the India players with new overseas signing like Ake Loba and Lukasz Zwolinski, the East Bengal coach decided to opt for a closed-door training session at their home ground.A year ago in the Shield final, then East Bengal coach Oscar Bruzon took a gamble of replacing Gill with Debjit Majumdar but it didn’t pay off as Bagan stayed perfect in the shootout while Kaith saved Jay Gupta’s attempt to clinch the deal.As the rivalry reappears, Habas is keen on avoiding such setback in a shootout. “For me, I prefer to win the final in 90 minutes,” the East Bengal coach said.Stay updated with the latest Asian Games 2026 news, check the Asian Games medal tally and complete Asian Games schedule.Get the latest Sports News and Live updates. Download the TOI app.