Indian Super League (ISL) side East Bengal FC registered their first win in the AIFF Super Cup 2025–26, thumping Chennaiyin FC 4-0, while Mohun Bagan Super Giant were held to a goalless draw by Dempo SC in the other Group A fixture on Tuesday.

With their second consecutive defeat, Chennaiyin FC have been eliminated from the tournament, while the other three teams remain in contention. However, the outcome of the Kolkata Derby on Friday is likely to decide the group winner.

East Bengal FC breeze past Chennaiyin FC

The Red and Gold Brigade got back to winning ways after being held to a late draw by Dempo SC in the opening clash. Thounojam Bipin Singh (39’, 45+1’) was the star of the show with a brilliant brace for the Kolkata giants. Kevin Sibille, though, opened the scoring in the 35th minute, while Hiroshi Ibusuki netted his debut goal from the spot in stoppage time.

The match began with Chennaiyin FC showing early intensity and pressing high up the pitch. Farukh Choudhary almost gave them the lead in the opening minutes when he danced past three defenders and forced a sharp save from Prabhsukhan Singh Gill at the near post. East Bengal FC struggled to get on the ball and looked unsettled under pressure, pinned inside their own half during the opening quarter.

But football has a way of flipping its script in moments, and East Bengal seized theirs spectacularly. Against the run of play in the 35th minute, Naorem Mahesh Singh delivered a teasing free-kick from the left. Kevin Sibille rose above the Chennaiyin FC defence to nod the ball home, sparking an eruption of noise from the Red and Gold bench.

That moment unleashed a wave of confidence through the side. Within minutes, Mahesh turned provider again, this time from the right flank. His low cross was met perfectly by Bipin Singh, who timed his run to beat the line and guided it past Nawaz with ice-cool precision. Chennaiyin FC were rocked, unable to cope with East Bengal FC’s sudden surge.

Then, in first-half stoppage time, Bipin delivered again, with Mahesh being the provider yet again. Played through on the left, he opened up his body and curled a clinical finish into the far corner. Nawaz got fingertips on it, but it wasn’t enough to stop the ball rippling the net. In just eleven minutes, the match had been transformed as East Bengal FC went from struggling to flying into the break with a commanding 3-0 lead.

The second half saw Chennaiyin FC try to muster a comeback through long spells of possession, but despite their effort, they lacked the cutting edge to really test East Bengal FC’s backline. The Red and Gold Brigade slowed down the tempo, absorbed the pressure and patiently waited for chances to break on the counter.

Hiroshi Ibusuki nearly scored a sensational goal in the 85th minute, unleashing a long-range thunderbolt with his weaker foot that cannoned off the crossbar and left Nawaz stranded. But the Japanese striker didn’t leave empty-handed. In stoppage time, the Kolkata side was awarded a penalty. Hiroshi stepped up and calmly slotted the penalty into the bottom corner to seal the 4-0 rout.

MBSG share spoils with Dempo SC

ISL side Mohun Bagan Super Giant played out a cagey goalless draw against Dempo SC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa in their second outing in the AIFF Super Cup 2025.

With four points from two games, the Mariners drop to second place in Group A on goal difference behind East Bengal FC, and must beat their rivals in the Kolkata Derby on Friday to progress to the final four.

Jose Molina made eight changes to his starting eleven, with Dimitri Petratos, Dippendu Biswas, Robson Robinho, Asish Rai, Jason Cummings, Abhishek Singh Tekcham, Abhishek Suryavanshi, and Deepak Tangri all included in the lineup.

The Mariners dominated possession from the outset. They had their fair share of chances in the opening half but failed to break the deadlock.

Petratos attempted a shot from distance in the 24th minute, which was blocked and fell kindly to Cummings. The forward tried to capitalise on the rebound, but the Dempo SC defenders closed him down quickly.

Heading into the second half, Molina’s men looked sharper, with Robinho and substitute Jamie Maclaren increasingly involved in the play.

In the 69th minute, Petratos found Maclaren with an inch-perfect long ball, but the latter couldn’t keep his effort on target.

Another substitute, Manvir Singh, also came close to finding the back of the net in the dying minutes, but his header from Asish Rai’s corner went wide.

With that, the match ended level as the Mariners were held to a draw by Dempo SC. While the Mariners will lock horns against their arch-rivals on Friday, Dempo SC will take on Chennaiyin FC in the opening fixture on the same day.

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Mohun Bagan Super GiantEast Bengal FC2025-26Chennaiyin FC AIFF Super Cup