East Bengal end 22-year drought with 1st ISL title, Mohun Bagan suffer front-row pain

East Bengal’s 22-year drought for a major Indian trophy ended on May 21. And it ended in the most dramatic fashion possible.

It was finally “Illish” which triumphed after 22 years of pain, near misses, mismanagement and even battles for mere existence in the top flight of Indian football. All of those stories came to an end as East Bengal defeated Inter Kashi FC 2-1 in Kolkata, with goals from their star striker Youssef Ezzejjari and crowd-favourite Palestinian midfielder Mohammed Rashid.

And what could very well be the icing on the cake for the many anxious and agonised Bangals who had waited more than two decades for this moment was the fact that East Bengal triumphed over arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the title race itself.

Mohun Bagan did win their clash against Sporting Club Delhi by 2-1, and even celebrated with hopes of having sealed their fate, but missed out on the title and by goal difference. After years of dominance, this year it was Mohun Bagan's turn only to watch their fiercest rivals finally cross the finish line ahead of them.

The Indian Super League, despite however chaotic the season felt both before and during the campaign, somehow produced its very best on the final day of the tournament.

Heading into the final day of the 2025-2026 Indian Super League season, four teams still had a realistic chance of winning the title. East Bengal entered the night at the top of the table, followed closely by defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant, while Mumbai City FC and Punjab FC remained alive in the race as well. Even Jamshedpur FC still carried hopes of a mathematical miracle to pull off one of the wildest title steals Indian football would have ever seen.

The tension peaked in the exact manner East Bengal fans have painfully grown used to over the years, anxiety till the very end. And on this ISL final day, the anxiety arrived almost immediately.

Within just nine minutes against a bottom-half Inter Kashi side, East Bengal had already conceded. And it was not even an ordinary goal. Alfred Planas produced an outrageous volley which flew in with the kind of technique and drama that instantly felt dangerous beyond just the scoreline itself.

For a few seconds, it almost felt like half of West Bengal had their hands on their heads, mouths or maybe even hearts.

The flashbacks started returning instantly.
2012.
2014.
2018.
All those runners-up finishes. All those league titles slipping away. All those final-day heartbreaks.

But as the Bengali saying goes, “Haal cherona bondhu” — don’t lose hope, my friend. And for once, football finally smiled kindly towards East Bengal supporters.

Oscar Bruzon, standing in what could very well have been his final match in charge of East Bengal, standing on that historic touchline, had the nervous twitch in his eyebrows. He knew exactly what this night meant.

In the 49th minute, Youssef Ezzejjari equalised for East Bengal. Kishore Bharati Krirangan erupted despite the attendance being just around 9,000. The fear cracked. Hope returned.

And then suddenly, the night began turning fully red and gold.

In the 62nd minute, Clarance Fernandes gave Sporting Club Delhi the lead against Mohun Bagan Super Giant. The noise inside the Salt Lake Stadium dimmed, almost so much that it felt like you could hear the roaring celebrations coming from the other end of Kolkata at Kishore Bharati itself.

But East Bengal wanted no repetition of the past. And it was their Palestinian powerhouse Mohammed Rashid who made sure of that.

72nd minute.
East Bengal take the lead.
East Bengal get one hand on the trophy.

A hand that had waited more than two decades to finally touch silver again.

And after that, nothing else mattered anymore.

Not Mohun Bagan equalising.
Not Mumbai City scoring two late goals against Punjab FC.
Not Mohun Bagan taking the lead later.

Nothing mattered.

East Bengal’s dream simply refused to end.

While this ISL season will probably be remembered with bitterness because of the turmoil surrounding Indian football, the uncertainty over the league’s future and the exhausting battle to even keep the competition alive, East Bengal fans will happily take every bit of it in.

The full-time whistle brought tears to the eyes of fans in the stands as moshals lit up the night sky and the pitch disappeared beneath a sea of red and gold.

Miguel Figueira, Rashid, Saul Crespo and Bipin Singh were lifted onto the shoulders of East Bengal fans, the club’s new cult heroes and household names forged through years of chaotic transfer windows and sponsor troubles. Together, they delivered the glory that even some of the biggest names to wear red and gold could not

And after 22 years of waiting, they deserve bragging rights.