Mohun Bagan SG start season with 1-0 win over East Bengal in Durand Cup

2 min readJul 25, 2026 07:54 PM IST East Bengal attacked with everything they had and Vishal Kaith pulled off a couple of big saves to keep Bagan's lead intact. (Durand Cup copy)Sahal Abdul Samad’s 52nd minute strike and some dogged defending towards the end of the match helped Mohun Bagan Super Giant beat East Bengal in the opening match of the 2026 Durand Cup at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday. In what was an end-to-end game, Samad turned in the ball after it was squared to him by Kiyan Nassiri from the right to put Bagan ahead. East Bengal attacked with everything they had and Vishal Kaith pulled off a couple of big saves to keep Bagan’s lead intact. Both sides are being led by new coaches, althought East Bengal’s Antonio Lopez Habas knows all about the intensity of this fi