East Bengal beats Punjab FC to enter third AIFF Super Cup final
East Bengal beat Punjab FC 3-1 on Thursday at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Margao, Goa to enter its third AIFF
That’s all! The few East Bengal fans in the stands chant in joy as their side enters a third AIFF Super Cup Final after
beating Punjab FC with ease. While Oscar Bruzon is likely to miss the final because of his red card, his charges have
shown that they can hold their own. Punjab FC barely had any chances in the second half as East Bengal - after entering
the second 45 minutes with a 2-1 lead - began searching for the next goal. It was only in the closing 10 minutes or so
that the Shers began to test Gill and enter the opposition box, which was too late to stage a comeback. Now, the winner
between FC Goa and Mumbai City will face the Red and Gold Brigade in the final.
Vishnu beats his man and takes a shot first time, but misses the target by some way.
Osuji tries to trigger a comeback for Punjab FC but Gill is sharp. He comes out and clears the ball to safety. Five
Bikash Singh on for Augustine from the Punjab camp. Lalchungnunga, Ferreira off for Jay Gupta and David Lalhlansanga.
Bipin comes off for PV Vishnu.
Ibusuki with another chance, this time Bipin floating it a pinpoint cross from the left flank. The Japanese forward
tries to head it but the ‘keeper Shabir does well.
Skipper Saul Crespo scores East Bengal’s third goal and that should be the match! Ferreira with a short pass as Crespo
pulled the trigger with a bullet of a shot into the bottom corner.
Mahesh is brought off for Edmund Lalrindika.
Substitute Suhail collects the ball at the edge of the box and lets a grounded shot fly on the half-volley but it
trickles past an outstretched Gill, who injures himself in the process.
Osuji, the substitute, tries to curl a cross into the box from the left flank but it’s too close to Gill. Easy
collection for the ‘keeper.
Nikhil Prabhu gets his name added to the book with a yellow card.
Another great move from the East Bengal players! Deft touches down the left side, first pass from Ferreira and then the
lightest of touches from Mahesh to set Bipin, who then tries to curl it into the far post but the ‘keeper gets a touch.
Ibusuki is there at the far post and he gets a header away but he was a tad bit away from it as he rattles into the
Don’t think the Shers have entered the East Bengal box even once so far in the second half. Four to five East Bengal
players always breathing down the Shers’ necks.
The Kolkata side is hungry for the next goal to put some distance between it and Punjab. Ibusuki looking more lively in
And chance early on! Ibusuki stands his ground, turns, and shoots on the turn from the edge of the box. Shabir is rooted
to his spot but the shot doesn’t find his way into the net.
Muhammad Suhail and Bede Osuji come on for Punjab FC. Vinit and Pramveer off.
East Bengal has taken the most of its chances and therefore finds itself leading at the break. On the other hand,
Panagiotis Dilmperis’ Punjab FC - apart from the penalty strike - has barely troubled Gill between the posts. Still, one
goal is barely a lead because the Shers did regroup well after going behind. And with Bruzon not at the sidelines for
the second half, East Bengal will have to score early on in the second half. Next goal in the match could decide where
the match goes. See you on the other side!
Just as East Bengal took the lead off Sibille’s header off a corner, head coach Bruzon was said to have celebrated in
the face of the officials, which saw him receiver marching orders for dissent. He will not be on the sidelines for the
Just seconds before the referee blew the half-time whistle, Kevin Sibille’s header pulls East Bengal into the lead at
East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon is given a yellow card for dissent. Shortly after, Miguel Ferreira’s left-footed
curler from the free-kick gets a touch off the wall and goes behind for a corner.
A curling ball into the box finds Ibusiku but he goes down, asking for a foul on him because of Pramveer wrestling him.
The ball then finds Mahesh, whose right-footed shot is blocked.
Rai, looks like, was the one with a curling cross from the corner. He finds Ramirez who tries to side-foot the ball into
the net but the connection is missing.
Teenager Pramveer sees yellow after kicking the ball away. He’ll need to be careful now, and so will Rashid after he was
added into the book for dissent, it seems.
The goalscorer, almost 35-40 yards it seems, tries to postage-stamp the ball into the top right corner but he’d would
have needed precision to come close.
Spaniard Daniel Ramirez sends Gill the wrong way and Punjab FC is back in the game!
Bipin is adjudged to have handled the ball after Ricky Shabong tries to head the ball inside the box. Referee points to
First 30 minutes done and the scoreline does imply East Bengal has had the better start to the semifinal. If we look at
the ball possession then the Red and Gold Brigade has certainly dominated, but the Shers have had more chances. It’s the
clinical finishing that the trailing side is missing.
Seljkovic plays a swift 1-2 with a teammate and he receives it at the edge of the box to shoot, but his attempt is
blocked. The rebound falls for Vinit who tries his luck again, but it’s some way from the target.
A cross was floated into the box and Vinit Rai puts it down and lets a shot fly, but Rashid, seems like, blocks it.
Smooth sailing for the East Bengal players, pinging the ball around with ease. Punjab FC is mostly placed inside its own
half while defending but it wins a corner now while going forward.
The India international charged towards the Punjab box but a sea of players from the trailing side quickly reorganised
and stood in front of the East Bengal midfielder to block his view. Mahesh tries to find a teammate inside the box but
Mohamad Rashid’s long-ranger gives East Bengal the lead early on! The move began from the first corner of the game,
which fell to the Kolkata side. The ball was floated into the box but cleared. The ball then found Rashid at the edge of
the box. He took a touch, teed up a shot, and fizzed it through a sea of legs into the back of the net. Punjab ‘keeper
Shabir did get a hand to the travelling sphere but it wasn’t strong enough.
Teams taking chances of having the ball. East Bengal players trying to apply pressure and getting success. But apart
from those two chances for the Shers in quick succession, nothing much in this match to turn heads so far.
A long cross comes in from a free-kick and it looks like it was youngster Pramveer who gets a head to the pass. But he
fails to make the right connection as the ball gets cleared. Seconds later, Ricky Shabong gets the ball at the edge of
the box and he tries to volley it into the net, but gets underneath it.
Both sides going for the long ball early on. The ball has travelled to both boxes inside the opening minutes.
The ball gets rolling at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao as East Bengal and Punjab FC eye a spot in the Super Cup final!
Shouts of ‘East Bengal, East Bengal’ can be heard coming from the stands as the captains meet the referees for the toss.
Manolo Marquez has already arrived at the Fatorda Stadium. His side, FC Goa, will face Mumbai City later in the day in
the second semifinal but he’ll be keenly watching from the stands, if his Gaurs happen to meet one bunch of players from
And the EBFC and PFC players make their way out on to the pitch.
Punjab FC has been in red-hot form in the Super Cup, scoring six goals and not conceding any so far. And one of the main
reasons of that success has been Muhammed Uvais at the back, who had been a vital full back at Jamshedpur before moving
However, in this match, the Shers will have to start without him since he picked up a booking in the previous match,
suspending him from the semifinal clash.
East Bengal: Prabhsukhan Gill (gk), Anwar Ali, Lalchungnunga, Kevin Sibille, Miguel Ferreira, Hiroshi Ibusuki, Mohamad
Rakip, Naorem Mahesh Singh, Saul Crespo (c), Bipin Singh, Mohamad Rashid
Looks like it’s a 4-2-3-1 from the Kolkata side.
Punjab FC: Muheet Shabir (gk), Bijoy V, Pramveer, Suresh Meitei, Nikhil Prabhu, Ricky Shabong, Samir Zeljkovic, Daniel
Ramirez, Vinit Rai, Leon Augustine, Nsungusi Effiong
For the Shers, on paper it looks like a back three in defence with emphasis on the full-backs.
In the first semifinal of the day, Punjab FC could provide a bruising challenge for East Bengal. Punjab will bring
plenty of intensity and physicality to the table, hoping to disrupt East Bengal’s attacking rhythm.
The battle between the midfield bruisers Nikhil Prabhu of Punjab and Mohammed Rashid of East Bengal in the early moments
will likely set the tone of the game.
Punjab has been among the standout teams in the tournament but it will be without its first-choice full-backs, Muhammad
Uvais and Khaiminthang Lhungdim, who are both suspended. If there was a notion that Punjab would risk being exposed, it
was East Bengal head coach Oscar Bruzon, who was quick to dismiss it.
Read Aashin Prasad’s full preview here.
When and where will East Bengal vs Punjab FC AIFF Super Cup semifinal be played?
The AIFF Super Cup 2025-26 semifinal between East Bengal and Punjab FC will be played at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru
Stadium in Margao, Goa. The match will kick off at 4 pm IST.
How to watch East Bengal vs Punjab FC AIFF Super Cup semifinal?
The AIFF Super Cup 2025-26 semifinal between East Bengal and Punjab FC will be broadcast on the Star Sports Network. It
can also be live-streamed on JioHotstar.
While the world of Indian Football continues to sort its issues off the field, the action on it returns as East Bengal
takes on Punjab FC in a semifinal clash of the AIFF Super Cup.