The 135th Durand Cup begins today with the Kolkata Derby. Just two months ago, East Bengal and Mohun Bagan SG played a thrilling match in the Indian Super League (ISL) at a packed Salt Lake Stadium. The match had far-reaching implications for the title race but more importantly, it gave a glimpse of how vibrant Indian football could be at a time when its existence was being questioned.
The match ended in a 1–1 draw, with Jason Cummings equalizing for Bagan five minutes after Edmond had put East Bengal in front. The result worked in East Bengal’s favour, with the red and yellow brigade winning the title for the first time, their first National League title in 22 years.
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Mohun Bagan entered the competition as the most successful club in the competition, having won the Durand Cup 17 times. East Bengal are trailing with 16 titles. Northeast United FC, however, are the defending champions, having defeated Diamond Harbor in last year’s final.
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East Bengal were second in the league table in the first half of their final match of the season after going 1–0 down against Inter Kashi, but fought back to win 2–1. (ISL Photo)
It was April 2004. Baichung Bhutia, Douglas da Silva and Dipankar Roy were on the scoresheet as East Bengal sealed the National League title for themselves. was the top flight of the National Football League Indian Football At the time, and in addition to successfully defending the title that year, it was East Bengal’s third time winning in four seasons. Their next league title came on Thursday after a long spell of 22 years and it came thanks to goals from the Spaniard and the Palestinian. Read more
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