Avenging the Durand Cup defeat and securing a 'double' for Kolkata football after 47 years, Mohun Bagan defeated East Bengal to clinch the Shield for the 22nd time

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XtraTime Web Desk

Revenge for the Durand Cup defeat, a historic Kolkata football double after 47 years, and a trophy to boost confidence ahead of the ISL — Mohun Bagan Super Giant achieved all of that at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Thursday. And they did it through the combination of Sahal and Samir Jeljkovic. And then there was another man — Vishal Kaith. His contribution was truly massive.

A goal from Samir Jeljkovic gave Mohun Bagan a 1-0 victory over East Bengal and their 22nd IFA Shield title. The last time Mohun Bagan won both the Kolkata League and the IFA Shield in the same year was back in 1979. the Mariners have once again achieved that historic feat.

The goal came after a misplaced pass from Rashid. Just three passes later, Mohun Bagan had the ball in the net. Sahal calmly chipped the ball forward as if placing it on a plate for Jeljkovic. The Croatian brought it down perfectly on his chest before finishing with equal composure to score the winning goal.

The match began with an opportunity for East Bengal. Edmund found himself one-on-one with Vishal Kaith. But the Mohun Bagan goalkeeper timed his charge to perfection. He came off his line brilliantly and made himself big, effectively blocking both angles and forcing the young Edmund to hit the ball straight at him.

East Bengal struggled to build any sustained attacking momentum after that. One major reason was Deepak Tangri's excellent work in front of the two centre-backs. He covered the gaps brilliantly. Another issue was East Bengal's lack of a striker capable of really putting pressure on the Mohun Bagan defence. Edmund was operating more from the left, which meant there was not enough presence through the middle for the likes of Rodriguez to make an impact.

Once Mohun Bagan began to take control of the match, Erwin created space brilliantly, beating two opponents with clever inside movements, but his weak finish wasted the opportunity. Later, after Chhangte produced a superb solo run and played the ball across the six-yard box, Sandeep Mandi was perfectly positioned to intercept.

But the easiest chance of the match was missed by Mehtab Singh. Abhishek Mitaei's cross found Mehtab's head, but the unmarked defender somehow headed the ball wide.

Erwin then played a good ball forward to Sahal from midfield, but he delayed his run and was caught offside. Sahal's subsequent effort, lifting the ball over the defender before quickly turning and shooting, once again showed his class. And then, in the 44th minute, came Jeljkovic's decisive goal.

With the match slipping away, Habas introduced both foreign strikers — Poland's Lukas and Ivory Coast's Loba. Vishal Kaith then produced another outstanding save to deny Lukas' header. He had already rescued his team twice during the game. Did Khalid Jamil notice that? Vishal once again underlined why he is arguably India's best goalkeeper at the moment.

Mohun Bagan maintained their defensive shape superbly in the second half. However, there is one question to be asked: did Mohun Bagan make a mistake by dropping too deep towards the end? East Bengal created considerable pressure during that period. Had they avoided aimless crosses and transitioned a little quicker from midfield into attacking areas, they could certainly have put Mohun Bagan in serious trouble.

Samir Jeljkovic's performance should please Panos, and not simply because he scored the winning goal. With the ISL just around the corner, Mohun Bagan badly needed a midfielder of this kind. He played the role of a genuine midfield general and controlled the game with authority.

Erwin also caught the eye. His first touch was particularly impressive, while he used his big frame intelligently. He is not a traditional box striker like Maclaren; when required, he can also perform much of the work expected from a No. 10. Those are additional positives for Panos with the ISL approaching.

On the other hand, two decisions by Habas raised questions. First, did he wait too long before introducing Lukas and Loba? And secondly, was it a mistake not to bring on Anwar? Had those decisions been different, could East Bengal have prevented Mohun Bagan from completing their revenge for the Durand Cup defeat? Could they even have stopped the Mariners from completing their historic Kolkata football double and making the celebrations much harder?

Perhaps Habas himself is still searching for those answers.