Mohun Bagan SG 8 - 0 South United FC | Durand Cup Match Review 2026

byAnik Nandi -

Mohun Bagan won the first match of the season against arch rivals, EBFC, painting the City Green-and-Maroon. Coach Panos had less than 10 days to prepare for the next game and he put his working boots on! On 4th August, the team was ready to face South United FC.

~: Starting XI :~


This was the start debut of Dejan Drazic. Apuia was excluded from the matchday squad because he missed a couple of training sessions due to injury concerns.

~: How the Match Unfolded :~

The kickoff was updated to 7:20 PM. Drazic started on the right wing and Manvir was the striker. In the 2nd minute, DJ tracks back, makes an interception, feints to throw the midfielder off and becomes available in the gaps to receive the forward pass. A minute later, Liston dribbled past the defender on Left Wing and took a shot on his own, which was unfortunately blocked. At 4', Anirudh saw the gaps and burst deep into the box, passing it behind to Sahal, who passes it back to Manvir inside the box. A touch and he slams it home past Noel. Mohun Bagan went one up early in the game.

Beautiful game followed with one-touch passes, supporting overlaps and wing-based attack in the attacking half. At 10', Anirudh takes an accurate corner from left spot to find Alberto who rushes into the penalty box to convert it with a towering header. The Moner-Star makes it two.

At 19', Thapa passed the ball to Drazic from left corner post. The Serbian crossed it into the box over the heads of two defenders and Rahul Bheke connected it well to head it into the net. Rahul scored his first goal as a Mariner, a special goal for him!

3 minutes later, at 22', Liston took a quick throw towards Sahal. The defensive backline was out of position during counter attack. Sahal crosses it to Manvir inside the box. The tall man curls the ball past two defenders away from the reach of the keeper towards the 2nd post. Brace for Manvir!

Bagan kept the pressure and intensity up. SUFC showed grit, trying their best to attack instead of defending with all men behind. Thapa slips and fumbles once in the midfield, and Daniyal pounces on the ball to shoot from far. It would have gone in, had there not been a diving save from Vishal coming through! Crucial save that kept the clean sheet in the game.

Sahal stood out for his incredible performance - hitting the woodwork thrice with long range bangers! While the goal-tally eluded him, he provided 3 assists in the game.



Before the start of the 2nd Half, Coach Panos could be seen giving instructions to the players right there in the tunnel. The match resumed, with Kiyan and Suryavanshi brought in for Deepak Tangri and Liston Colaco, both of whom had average performances in the game. They will need to step up their game before facing tougher opponents later on in the tournament.

Tekcham was phenomenal on the Right Wing. His accelerated runs troubled the opponents and his work rate was commendable. He even switched positions with Bose, who perhaps for the first time was seen playing as RB. Captain Bose even cut inside once and took a powerful shot at goal that zoomed over the post! At 54', Rodriguez had space in front, which he happily obliged to push through and take a grounder towards goal. Stopped by the woodwork and the ball ricochets back.

Finally at 60', Anirudh's corner adds meaning to Bagan's constant attacks and total dominance. Manvir meets the ball near the front post, heading it down. The ball bounces once before hugging the net. 5-Star Performance for Mohun Bagan by our Hattrick Hero, Manvir Singh!

In the 69th minute, Bagan transitioned with pace from defence to offence right into the box with just 3 passes. Drazic sent in a dangerous cross into the penalty area, which left the Keeper, Sunil and Captain Noel in panic. A fumble occured and the ball crossed over the white line to make it 6. The own Goal was from Noel.

2 minutes later, Drazic and Manvir was subbed out for young blood, Sayan and Suhail. They had an opportunity to perform for Mohun Bagan in Durand Cup now. And boy, did they not disappoint!

At 78', Tekcham was brought off to bring on Asish Rai, who was out for many months due to injury and finally ready to don the Green-and-Maroon jersey. He was decent in the game, and we hope to see what the renewed Asish Rai has in store for us in future games!

At 86', Suhail made a terrible move which was shocking to say the least. He got a pass from Sayan in the penalty box, which he received in the other direction and passed it behind, to nobody! Anyone else would have taken the shot from that close. 4 minutes later, Sahal sent in a perfect through ball to him in the 90th Minute. He calmly went past the rushing keeper to slot it into the empty net. 7th Goal secured for Mohun Bagan!

In the next minute itself, Sayan once again sent in a good pass to Suhail, who had space in the box. He took a touch to settle himself before thumping it into the roof of the net. The Mariners cheered in jubilation! Suhail proved his worth in front of the Mariners by scoring a brace as a sub.

The final whistle blew to seal the final scoreline as 8-0 in favour of Mohun Bagan.


Team Work makes the Dream Work.

Manvir Singh for the Player of the Match award for scoring a hattrick in the game. He was a wholesome striker, scoring a goal each with either foot and his head. His positioning, movement and accurate finishing was on-point in this match.

With 6 points and GD of +9, Mohun Bagan climbs to the top of Group-A and qualifies for the Knockout Stage of Durand Cup, 2026 with 1 game remaining against CISF Protectors on 10th August.

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Author - Anik Nandi Anik Nandi
Writer, Journalist and Editorial Head at MBFT
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