East Bengal beats Punjab FC to enter third AIFF Super Cup final

AIFF Super Cup 2025

With the victory, East Bengal will return to the Super Cup final for the third time, hoping to recapture the crown for the second time on Sunday.

East Bengal backed up its coach Oscar Bruzon’s words before the AIFF Super Cup semifinal when he said his team will play with ‘hunger, attitude and aggression’ as it got the better of Punjab FC 3-1 in a bruising encounter in Margao, Goa on Thursday.

It was fitting that under the scorching heat at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Nikhil Prabhu set the tone by walloping Saul Crespo in the first minute. It was a stop-start opening which involved plenty of nibbles and crunching tackles, much to the displeasure of Bruzon, who was sent off for dissent.

East Bengal’s Mohammed Rashid, too, was booked for voicing his displeasure but not before providing a moment of brilliance to put his team in front in the 12th minute.

Punjab defender Pramveer headed the ball out of the box from a corner kick but the clearance fell at the feet of Rashid. The midfielder set himself up and drilled it low across the turf, cutting through several bodies and past Muheet Shabir, who didn’t get enough behind his palm to keep the ball out.

Punjab recovered from the set-back and started moving the ball well through Daniel Ramirez and Samir Zeljkovic, who both played off striker Nsungusi Effiong in the 3-4-2-1 shape.

Just as Punjab gathered some momentum around the half hour mark, Bipin Singh’s outstretched arms inside the box gave a way back into the game through a penalty. Ramirez sent Prabhsukhan Gill the wrong way to level the scores at 1-1.

Frustration seemed to be getting the better of East Bengal due to the referee’s leniency towards the challenges from Punjab’s players. Rashid and Bruzon were cautioned but the Red and Golds channelled the rage into one final push to end the half on a high.

From a corner kick in stoppage time, centre-back Kevin Sibille got enough contact from Miguel Ferreira’s delivery to find the net past Shabir.

While the action ended, it didn’t seem to quell Bruzon’s temper. He sealed his fate for the evening when he punched the dugout wall in anger, earning him a second booking.

Panagiotis Dilmperis reacted quickly at the start of the second half by changing the shape to a back four. He brought on forwards Muhammad Suhail and Bede Osuji as wide attackers and moved Zeljkovic into midfield alongside Prabhu.

Osuji’s introduction infused some urgency into Punjab’s forward forays as he combined well with Ramirez but they couldn’t fashion any clear-cut chances. They kept running into a well-marshalled defence manned by Sibille and Anwar Ali.

In front of them, Rashid, Ferreira and Crespo controlled the proceedings by not letting Punjab gather steam in its attack.

With less than 20 minutes left, it was East Benal skipper Crespo, who struck the dagger to end Punjab’s challenge for good.

Hiroshi Ibusuki used his strength to hold the ball up front before feeding Ferreira, who danced his way around defenders inside the box to set up Crespo outside the area. The Spaniard let the ball roll across him before unleashing a powerful low effort into the bottom corner to establish a two-goal lead.

With the victory, East Bengal will return to the Super Cup final for the third time, hoping to recapture the crown for the second time on Sunday.