East Bengal’s young brigade produced a spirited performance to hold a star-studded Mohun Bagan Super Giant to a 1-1 draw in the Calcutta Football League Kolkata Derby at the Barasat Stadium on Monday.

Mohun Bagan, who included several senior first-team players, started strongly and controlled much of the opening half. Their pressure eventually produced the breakthrough in the 38th minute, with Manvir Singh putting the Mariners ahead.

East Bengal, largely relying on their reserve squad, struggled to create clear opportunities before the break and went into half-time trailing 0-1.

The Red and Gold youngsters, however, returned with greater intent after the interval. Their persistence was rewarded in the 64th minute, when substitute Mohammed Bilal headed home from a corner to bring East Bengal level.

The equaliser changed the complexion of the contest, with East Bengal growing in confidence and both teams searching for a winner. Despite late attempts from either side, neither could find the decisive goal as the derby ended all square.

The result was particularly impressive for East Bengal given the difference in experience between the two line-ups. While Mohun Bagan fielded players such as Manvir Singh, Sahal Abdul Samad, Subhasish Bose, Mehtab Singh and Rahul Bheke, East Bengal’s reserve team relied heavily on younger players.

East Bengal, Mohun Bagan progress to Super Six

East Bengal, virtue of the draw, have now progressed to the Super Six of the competition as Group A winners. They finished with 27 points to claim the top spot. Mohun Bagan have also progressed to the next stages after claiming 3rd spot in Group A with 23 points.

The Super Six Teams of CFL 2026

Group A: East Bengal, Bhawanipore, Mohun Bagan

Group B: Coal India, Mohammedan, United SC

What Coaches Said

Mohun Bagan coach Bastab Roy hailed East Bengal for their effort and blamed his team’s defensive mindset.

“In the second half, we sat back. Apuia and Tanmoy both went deep, and we allowed East Bengal to attack. Anyway, East Bengal deserve this result as they were outstanding,” Roy said.

East Bengal’s coach Archisman Biswas was all praises for his boys, who were quite brilliant on the night. The young brigade showcased their resilience, and the coach credited his players.

“Hats off to them for their performance. They were outstanding. We always had the belief, and motivating players was easy. I didn’t want any big names (first-team players), as these youngsters deserve to play the Derby. We made a few tactical changes at the break and that worked for us. In fact, players themselves were confident at the break and assured me that they would turn things around,” Biswas said.