East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan Player Ratings: Dani Ramirez impress; Zivulic & Hardik Bhatt disappoint in Kolkata Derby of IFA Shield 2026 Final
The Mariners grab the 22nd IFA Shield title after defeating the Torchbearers 1-0 in the final.
Mohun Bagan SG wins their 22nd IFA Shield title after defeating East Bengal FC narrowly by 1-0 in the final at the Salt Lake Stadium, thanks to a goal by Samir Zeljkovic late in the first half.
Mohun Bagan looked far better than it did in the Durand Cup final earlier this year, despite the fact that it was not particularly attractive.
Given that the Indian Super League will begin in a few days, East Bengal and head coach Antonio Habas will be dissatisfied with their performance. Before East Bengal starts its title defence, Habas will be hoping that this is only a minor setback.
In this article we take a look at the players ratings of East Bengal FC from tonight’s IFA Shield 2026 final.
East Bengal FC Player Ratings
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Phurba Tempa Lachenpa–6.5/10
Lachenpa played in the high-voltage Kolkata derby against the Mariners as Prabsukhan Singh Gill was rested after coming back from National duties. Lachenpa was not at his personal best tonight against Mohun Bagan SG.
The goalkeeper did make some good saves, especially two long-range shots from Sahal Abdul Samad and Lallianzuala Chhangte, but still ended up conceding 1 goal.
While the defence should be held equally responsible, Phurba Lachenpa could have done better between the sticks.
Hardik Bhatt– 5.5/10
Hardik Bhatt did not have a good game at all tonight against Mohun Bagan SG.
He looked decent in the initial 10 minutes, and in patches, but after Mohun Bagan scored, he was absolutely outclassed.
He was slow to recover runs, due to which the Mohun Bagan SG players had plenty of space during counterattacks.
Diego Zivulic– 5.5/10
Diego Zivulic looked absolutely out of touch tonight against Mohun Bagan. Zivulic was unable to contribute offensively.
He did not look comfortable defensively either, with Chhangte, Sahal and Lee Erwin outclassing him during the counterattacks.
LalchungNunga– 6/10
LalchungNunga was poor at the back for the Torchbearers alongside his centre-back partner, Diego Zivulic. Just like Zivulic, LalchungNunga lacked the pace to cover the counterattacks from Mohun Bagan SG.
Much was expected from the experienced defender, but he lacked the quality tonight and had a poor outing.
Sandip Mandi–6.5/10
Sandip Mandi was decent for the Red and Gold Brigade, operating as an offensive left back, making runs moving forward.
However, he was wasteful going forward and even lacked defensive solidity. But he was not the worst East Bengal player on the pitch. Later on in the second half, he was substituted by PV Vishnu.
Jay Gupta– 6/10
Jay Gupta looked completely out of place in the midfield for the Torchbearers and was almost lost in the midst of the game. He was involved in a few initial build-ups but couldn’t deliver.
He was unable to operate smoothly in the midfield and was substituted in the second half by Lukasz Zwolinski.
Mohammed Rashid– 6/10
Rashid looked good in the first few minutes of the game, and again during the second half, he took a few long-range wickets, but nothing clicked today in his favour.
The midfielder was mainly operating as the third defensive partner with Zivulic and Nunga when the Moshal Brigade were pushing forward. He initially had a good game but suddenly started making mistakes and looked completely out of place.
Daniel Ramirez Fernandez – 7/10
Dani Ramirez was decent for the Torchbearers, operating in the midfield, making runs moving forward. He created a few chances for both Edmund and Bipin, but they couldn’t deliver.
However, he was wasteful going forward and even lacked midfield creativity. But he was not the worst Mohun Bagan player on the pitch. Later on, he was substituted as well.
Jeakson Singh– 6/10
Jeakson Singh was not operating at his best tonight and looked completely out of place in the midfield.
He was unable to operate smoothly in the midfield and was outclassed by Zeljkovic and Sahal.
Bipin Singh– 6.5/10
Much was expected from the pacy winger moving into this clash; however, Bipin was not operating comfortably on the flanks.
He lacked the accuracy to put balls in and even struggled to make impact in the penalty box. Apart from a couple of long rangers he could not do much in the game.
Edmund Lalrindika-6.5/10
Edmund did not have the accuracy while crossing the balls and even lacked the finishing quality in front of the goal.
His one attempt in the initial minutes of the game was saved by Vishal Kaith. Later on he was substituted as well.
Substitutions
Lukasz Zwolinski- 6/10
Lukasz Zwolinski had his moments and were proactive after coming onto the field but couldn’t deliver what is expected from him.
Although few of his shots were saved by Vishal Kaith as well which includes one beautiful header as well.
Ake Loba- 5.5/10
Ake Loba came off the bench in the second half. But Loba’s inclusion in the second half did not make much changes to the attack of the Torchbearers or the scoreline.
PV Vishnu– 6/10
PV Vishnu also came off the bench for the Torchbearers but did not leave a huge mark. He did have some good moments but overall lacked the awareness to impact the game
Chris Ikonomidis–5.5/10
Chris Ikonomidis who was one of the best players for the Red and Gold Brigade in the semifinals of the IFA Shield 2026 came off the bench in the second half.
However, he did not do much except sending few crosses into the penalty box but tried his best,couldn’t deliver.
How did Mohun Bagan SG win the IFA Shield 2026 final?
Mohun Bagan SG defeated East Bengal FC 1-0 in the final, with Samir Zeljkovic scoring the only goal of the match.
Who was East Bengal’s highest-rated player in the IFA Shield final?
Daniel Ramirez Fernandez was East Bengal’s highest-rated player with 7/10, as he worked hard in midfield and created chances for his teammates.
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