The grand finale of the 132nd Indian Oil Durand Cup, set for Sunday, September 03, 2023, at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, is the highly anticipated clash between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Emami East Bengal. Both teams are vying for the prestigious Durand Cup trophy after having already met once in the competition. In the group stage, Nandhakumar Sekar’s goal made the difference, giving East Bengal’s red-and-gold brigade its first derby win in 1659 days.
East Bengal started their campaign with a 2-2 result against Bangladesh Army, and on the following matchday came their much-awaited derby win. They then defeated Punjab FC and Gokulam Kerala FC, before the nail-biting semi-final against North East United secured their berth in the final.
Mohun Bagan thrashed Bangladesh Army 5-0 in their campaign opener and had to overcome strong teams like Mumbai City and FC Goa in the knockout rounds to reach the final.
Carles Cuadrat, the new East Bengal boss, expressed confidence in his team’s progress, saying, “After the draw with the Bangladesh Army team, we talked among the team. Improved in our sessions. Then we beat Mohun Bagan. Won the derby.” The stakes are high, especially for East Bengal, who have not had good memories of recent seasons. “Last time, when East Bengal beat Mohun Bagan in consecutive two matches was in 2016,” added Cuadrat at the pre-match press conference. “So, it’s been a long time. So, this time we want to give our best and try to win the trophy.”
Juan Ferrando, Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s coach, also sounded upbeat on the eve of the game. “I am happy with our performance till now,” he said. “We have played some good teams like Mumbai and FC Goa. And we are going to play another good team in the final.” While East Bengal could focus only on the Durand Cup, Ferrando and his side have had AFC Cup assignments too, where they managed to secure a group stage berth. “Honestly in the last derby, I was more focused with the AFC Cup match, but now I am happy that my players have passed the group stage,” said Ferrando. “It’s a good target and a good challenge for us. We will try to win the trophy.”
With an expected crowd of almost 60,000 fans at the Salt Lake Stadium, both coaches are braced for a psychological and tactical battle. Both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan have 16 Durand Cup titles and one of the Kolkata Giants will lead the trophy count by late evening.
Head-to-Head in Durand Cup
Total Matches: 21
East Bengal won: 9
Mohun Bagan won: 7
Draws: 5
Key Players to watch out for
East Bengal: Naorem Mahesh, Nandhakumar Sekar, Cleiton Silva, Javier Siverio, Saul Crespo.
Mohun Bagan: Anwar Ali, Jason Cummins, Hugo Boumous, Dimitri Petratos
Where to watch? Jio TV/Sony Ten2