Mohun Bagan vs East Bengal: Miguel Ferreira's performance, toothless Mariners & other talking points from Kolkata Derby

East Bengal qualify for Super Cup semifinals despite a draw in the Kolkata Derby.

Despite the game ending in a 0-0 stalemate, East Bengal veritably knocked out Mohun Bagan by restricting them from a victory in the deciding match of Group A in the AIFF Super Cup 2025-26 on Friday, 31st October, 2025, at the Fatorda Stadium, Goa.

East Bengal went into the game with a better goal difference than Mohun Bagan, both teams having 4 points from a win and a draw in two games. A draw would be enough for the Torch Bearers to proceed, but the Mariners needed a win to guarantee a spot in the semi-final.

Oscar Bruzon’s side demonstrated an inspired performance, dominating the Mariners for the majority of the game. Let’s take a look at three major takeaways from the latest iteration of the historic Kolkata Derby.

1. Miguel Ferreira is East Bengal’s X factor

Especially in the first half, Miguel Ferreira was by far the best player on the pitch today. With a wand of a left foot, the midfielder was at the epicentre of every East Bengal attack. He held up the ball with expertise, put in delicious crosses, and defended when needed.

Ferreira’s attitude could perhaps match his footballing ability as he was also in the thick of most arguments and confrontations. It is a character like Miguel that the Red and Gold Army had been missing since their inclusion in the Indian Super League, someone who can both talk the talk and walk the walk.

Miguel was a terror to the Mohun Bagan defence, having been given the freedom to play anywhere across the pitch. He combined effortlessly with the likes of Bipin Singh, Hamid Ahadad, and Naorem Mahesh and will be the player to watch out for for the rest of East Bengal’s season.

2. Attack was East Bengal’s best form of defence

Despite only needing a draw to qualify for the semi-finals, never did the Torch Bearers seem in the mood of accepting anything less than a win, something not very common in football. Even if teams attack at the start, they gradually try to do what is popularly known as ‘park the bus’ as the clock ticks down.

However, even going into the last ten minutes of the game, Oscar Bruzon’s East Bengal were committing bodies forward in attempts to find a goal. What this invariably did was that it tired Mohun Bagan’s players, who were overwhelmed and forced to defend for long patches of the game.

East Bengal’s pressing was top-notch, as Hamid Ahadad, despite failing to score, constantly kept the pressure on Tom Aldred and Alberto Rodriguez throughout the game. Bruzon’s plan worked perfectly today.

3. Lack of creativity in Bagan’s attack

When the game came to a close, Mohun Bagan was playing with five strikers – Robson Robinho, Dimitri Petratos, Jason Cummings, Jamie Maclaren, and Suhail Bhat. For a team that boasts this amount of firepower, struggling to score should be out of question. And yet, they couldn’t.

Even before the attacker came on, the Mariners had no supply channel. EB skipper Saul Crespo and Basim Rashid cut down all lanes by interceptions, not allowing the ball to reach Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, and most importantly, Jamie Maclaren.

Mohun Bagan have thrived with the likes of Hugo Boumous and Greg Stewart as playmakers in the past. While Cummings did well as a second striker last season, the dearth of a creator and the impact it can have on the team was exposed today by East Bengal.

The big name foreigners had no chemistry, no motivation to press, or push themselves in wide areas of the pitch. They hovered about centrally and could not produce anything with the few touches of the ball they managed to get. Jose Molina will have to make a lot of perplexing decisions moving forward when it comes to his preferred starting eleven.

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