Facts and Figures related to Durand Cup Final
Though surrounded by controversy, the two biggest Kolkata clubs have made it to the Durand Cup Final. East Bengal defeated NorthEast United after a thrilling comeback and winning it in the shootout. It entertained sporting-wise, but it turned out ugly in the stands. Whereas Mohun Bagan pipped FC Goa to set up what will be the twelfth meeting with their eternal rivals in the final. Dodgy referee calls surrounded that victory.
East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Durand Cup… Just how iconic does it get.
The Red-and-Golds have the upper hand in the all-time head-to-head records. The two have played a total of 390 games (including Exhibition Games). East Bengal are 138-125-127 ahead. Similar numbers have been put down for competitive matches as they lead 133-116-117.
Head-to-Head All Time (Competitive Matches)
- East Bengal = 133
- Draw = 116
- Mohun Bagan = 117
Durand Cup has a 132-year-old history. That dates beyond the creation of Mohun Bagan. However, it wasn’t until the semifinal round of 1957 that they met on this stage for the very first time. That game is very famous for what happened in the East Bengal dressing room in the replay. They were trailing 2-1 but turned it around after the Club Secretary’s powerful plea to his players.
Since then, they played each other 21 times where East Bengal leads 9-5-7 to Mohun Bagan. Their most recent meeting was the group stage game where the new signing Nandhakumar scored a solitary goal to victory.
Head-to-Head in Durand Cup
- East Bengal = 9
- Draw = 5
- Mohun Bagan = 7
Head-to-Head in Durand Cup Final
- East Bengal = 7
- Mohun Bagan = 6
- Joint Champions = 2
Total Number of Durand Cup titles
- East Bengal = 16
- Mohun Bagan = 16
The Kolkata Rivals played each eleven times in the tournament’s final but the championships add up to 13. That’s because the trophy was shared on two occasions – 1960 & 1982. After that infamous game at the Cooperage Stadium, Delhi, their next six meetings were directly in the final. The trophy in 1960 was shared because the replay ended in a draw. The same happened in 1982 when the game ended in a goalless draw.
Last season was the first time the two met outside the knockouts. Mohun Bagan emerged victorious by 1-0, courtesy of an own goal by Sumeet Passi.
The final that is to be played on September 3 will also decide the king of the trophy. As it stands, both the clubs are currently on 16 titles. The one winning it on Sunday will overtake the other at the Salt Lake.
