East Bengal 0 (5) - 0 (3) SC Delhi: Key takeaways from Durand Cup 2026 semifinals

Kolkata Derby is on the cards as East Bengal reach Durand Cup 2026 finals.

East Bengal paved their way into the final of the 2026 Durand Cup with a gritty 0-0 (5-3) win over SC Delhi in the semi-final encounter at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata, on Monday (19 August, 2026).

The Red & Gold Brigade were the dominant side for the majority of the game but needed the heroics of their goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill in the 34th minute as the custodian denied Rodriguinho from the spot to keep his side in the game.

The Torchbearers actually struck the post several times in the match, including across both halves, and neither of the two teams were able to score from open play under draining conditions in Kolkata.

A penalty shootout was forced, where Gill proved to be a difference-maker yet again as he denied Juan Bermudez from the spot and saw all his teammates convert their respective penalties to win the match in gritty fashion.

It might not have been the most stylish or clinical performance from East Bengal, but they proved their ability to dig in deep and grind their way to earning a place into their final cup final under Antonio Habas. Here are the talking points from this intriguing Durand Cup semifinal clash.

4. Lamgoulen Hangshing a standout in impressive SC Delhi backline

SC Delhi might’ve dominated their way to the semi-finals of the 2026 Durand Cup, having scored a whopping 21 goals in four matches en route to the stage – but they proved their ability to be defensively as strong against East Bengal.

Even though Delhi had to ride their luck at times after the East Bengal players were able to get into promising positions in the box, their defensive structure for the majority of the match was pretty commendable. The SC Delhi defenders worked their socks off, showing a unity in being able to cover up for their teammates’ wrong positioning and making crucial challenges to frustrate the Kolkata side at their own yard.

Their full-back, Lamgoulen Hangshing, was particularly excellent as he neutralised the majority of East Bengal’s threat through the left wing, not allowing Edmund Lalrindika much room to manoeuvre at all.

Not just that, but the likes of Ashutosh Mehta and Manoj Mohammed produced solid performances and made crucial challenges, and the Colombian centre-back Duvaan Viáfara worked hard to hold together a strong defensive line that stopped East Bengal’s attacks from open play and set-pieces to keep a clean sheet in normal time. If they’re able to keep up this kind of strong defending, this Delhi side can be a problem for teams in the Indian Super League (ISL)!

3. Prabhsukhan Gill earns staying power as East Bengal goalkeeper amidst increased competition

Prabhsukhan Gill might have played an important role in enabling East Bengal to win the 2025-26 ISL title, but he saw himself ‘rewarded’ in the wrong way as the Kolkata side signed experienced goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa in the summer window.

That was basically a warning from the club management for Gill to pick up his performances and maintain consistency in churning out reliable performances or risk being benched. However, across the last few games, Gill has proved his capability of thriving under pressure to preserve himself as the East Bengal no. 1.

Not only was he solid against Al-Arabi in the AFC Champions League Two qualifier, but he upped his intensity for the Durand Cup semifinal. Gill might not have faced all that much trouble on his goal, but he was solid with his cross-collection and saving.

He made a brilliant save to deny Rodriguinho’s penalty, which basically turned out to be decisive in dragging this game to a penalty shootout – where he made another instinctive stop to guide his side to the Durand Cup final. As long as Prabhsukhan can keep up this kind of excellent stop-start heroics for East Bengal, nobody is benching him in the majority of matches anytime soon.

2. East Bengal’s close-range finishing problem remains to be solved

Even though East Bengal didn’t have the same kind of intensity to their attacking rhythm as they did in the Al-Arabi clash recently, it’s not like they couldn’t create anything against SC Delhi. The Red & Gold Brigade struck the post four times in the match, causing dismay and frustration to Antonio Habas. However, what the Spanish gaffer will probably be slightly concerned by is how sloppy his players were when it comes to actually finishing off open-play chances from close range. The Torchbearers created 16 chances across the 90 minutes, but none of them were converted.

The likes of Bipin Singh and David Lalhlansanga both had golden opportunities to score close-range goals, but ended up fluffing their chances. Habas realises that East Bengal cannot be this wasteful going forward, be it in the Durand Cup final or in future ISL or AFC matches.

He needs to work with his players and make them work extra hard in training when it comes to becoming more prolific in putting chances from inside the danger areas in the penalty box into the back of the net. The arrival of Nigerian forward Effiong Nsungusi should help improve that, but unless multiple East Bengal attackers become decisive in this area – they might end up dropping many costly points in the season ahead.

1. East Bengal’s resilient character under Antonio Habas vindicated with gritty win

It’s fair to ascertain that East Bengal weren’t at their sharpest in the final third against SC Delhi, but one also has to recognise the kind of difficult period they’ve had across the last two weeks. From their final Durand Cup 2026 group game on August 7 (5-0 thrashing of South United) to this Durand Cup semifinal on August 19, the Torchbearers have been forced to play four matches in the space of around 12 days.

That’s basically one game every three days, giving their players very little resting period between matches at a time when the Kolkata humidity can cause fatigue in any footballer.

Despite that, East Bengal were able to showcase their strong character that has been moulded up really well by Antonio Habas in his short period as East Bengal head coach so far. They might not have been able to score against SC Delhi, but the Torchbearers also ensured that their opponents couldn’t get a goal, being defensively really strong despite conceding that first-half penalty.

The East Bengal players then showcased their grit by maintaining nerves of steel in the shootout, with every single player nailing excellent penalties to win the shootout in style. If nothing else, Habas has raised the kind of resilience East Bengal show under his management, and he’ll hope this resilience can help them win the Durand Cup by defeating whichever team is ahead of them in the finale.

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