A trophy, an Asian berth and a premature end: Super Cup final offers FC Goa, East Bengal’s last hope of salvation

There was mutual respect between East Bengal and FC Goa on the eve of the AIFF Super Cup final. But there was no escaping the fact that FC Goa, with more competitive football under its belt and the comforts of home, will go into Sunday’s showdown here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium with its nose slightly ahead.

Brison Fernandes, FC Goa’s goalscorer in the semi-final, was confident enough to admit it. «I think so (on favorite tag). If we are together, we will lift the trophy,» the winger said.

And Brison will be key to that. The Goan native is yet another success story of head coach Manolo Marquez’s emphasis on youth development. While Goa have had forgettable results in the AFC Champions League 2 so far, Brison’s goal against Al Nassr provided a rare highlight.

He attributed his newfound confidence, which also reflected on the pitch – a first-time volley effort against Mumbai City FC being the prime example – to the experience of playing on the continental stage.

While silverware is the immediate reward, a win on Sunday offers so much more: a place in Asia’s second-tier continental competition. The importance is not lost on East Bengal either after winning the 2024 edition of the Super Cup.

“It’s very important for us,” said East Bengal skipper Saul Crespo. «In the dressing room we know the importance of the tournament, the importance for the club and the importance for us as players. We will try to give everything.»

After bowing out of the Durand Cup at the semi-finals and losing the IFA Shield final on penalties, East Bengal will be keen to get over the line here. It will have to get the job done without head coach Oscar Bruzon, who is serving a touchline ban.

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Both East Bengal and FC Goa played a far from perfect match in their respective semi-finals, but both teams seized key moments to progress.

The strength of East Bengal’s midfield

East Bengal’s fate in the final could be decided by the way the midfield performs. The trio of Crespo, Miguel Ferreira and Mohammed Rashid have the quality to impose themselves and create match-defining moments.

«We have good midfielders. If we make mistakes, FC Goa will punish us,» East Bengal assistant coach Bino George warned.

Operating as the deepest midfielder, Rashid has the tenacious energy and game-reading ability to disrupt Goa’s rhythm with the ball. If Rashid and the two centre-backs, Anwar Ali and Kevin Sibille, cut the balls into the penalty area, players like Crespo and Ferreira would be given the freedom to influence the attack.

As was evident in FC Goa’s semi-final, despite leading 2-0 at half-time, Mumbai City were able to get within an overhit penalty to level the score. Mumbai’s midfield continued to hold Goa in their own half, but the home side managed to hold on.

If East Bengal manage to gain momentum with the ball, they will have to make the most of it. In the semi-final against Punjab, East Bengal’s front three – Naorem Mahesh, Hiroshi Ibusuki and Bipin Singh – were wiped out.

But against Goa, who will play more front-foot football, there will be space that Mahesh and Bipin can exploit. George revealed that the team management is waiting to see if striker Hamid Ahadad, who trained on Saturday, is fit enough to take his place in the starting XI.

Herrera, a known enemy

Even in the absence of the suspended Iker Guarrotxena, FC Goa has a better attacking threat in its 4-2-3-1 shape. Javier Siverio is more than capable of leading the way, but it will be stand-in skipper and attacking midfielder Borja Herrera who holds the trump cards.

The former East Bengal man is aiming to make it three Super Cup titles in a row, having won the previous two with both clubs.

The Spaniard pairs Goa’s midfield and attack with his ability to drift into pockets and his line-breaking passes to find the quick runners in Brison and Dejan Drazic. The three have five goals between them. Herrera and Drazic will be keen to move the ball quicker to isolate East Bengal’s right-back Mohammed Rakip and also work out combination play with left-back Akash Sangwan, who is a good crosser of the ball.

Goa will be without experienced centre-back Sandesh Jhingan, who is out injured for a month, but Marquez gave a nod to rookie Ronney Wilson to step up.

«I have a lot of confidence in Ronney. Ronney will be an important player for India in the coming years. He has all the qualities to be a quality player. He has a lot of personality and is very aggressive. His timing in aerial duels is very good,» Marquez said of the 22-year-old, who has played twice in the AFC Champions League 2.

The youngster will have to play his best game alongside Pol Moreno against a physically strong East Bengal side in the set-piece matches.

As it stands, the Super Cup final sets the stage for a premature end to what has been a colossal failure of an Indian football season. FC Goa didn’t know what to expect when it won the title last time, but its continental position in Asia’s second-tier league helped it stay afloat. On Sunday the title offers both clubs one last hope for salvation.

Published on December 6, 2025