This is the 22nd time that Mohun Bagan claimed the prestigious tournament and after nearly five decades that they have won the Calcutta Football League (CFL) and IFA Shield in same season. Riding on Samir Zeljkovic’s solitary strike, Mohun Bagan Super Giant retained the IFA Shield with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over arch-rivals East Bengal in a fiercely contested Kolkata Derby at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Thursday. Last time they achieved the feat, late PK Banerjee was the coach in the year 1976.
Bosnian midfielder Zeljkovic scored the decisive goal in the 45th minute, converting shortly before the interval to give the Mariners their 22nd IFA Shield title.
Zeljkovic broke the deadlock on the stroke of half-time after controlling a chipped pass from Sahal Abdul Samad on his chest before calmly slotting the ball past the East Bengal goalkeeper.
The goal gave Mohun Bagan a crucial advantage in a game that remained tightly contested after the break, with East Bengal pushing for an equaliser but failing to find a way past the Mariners’ defence. Mohun Bagan, in contrast, had to endure a much tougher route, edging past Punjab FC on penalties in the last four. The semi-final had ended goalless after 120 minutes before the Mariners prevailed 4-3 in the shootout, with goalkeeper Vishal Kaith making a key contribution.
