East Bengal vs Mohun Bagan: Don’t lose in the derby – that was once the identity of Antonio Lopez Habas (Antonio Lopez Habas). Habas, who was unbeaten against East Bengal when he was the coach of Mohun Bagan, tasted victory in the first derby standing in the red-yellow dugout this time. Not just a win, East Bengal ended a 22-year wait by defeating Mohun Bagan 4-1 in the Durand Cup 2026 final. The experienced Spanish coach practically cornered Panagiotis Dimperis in the battle of tactics.
The decision to rest is at stake
Habas rested the footballers the day before the final. Although the decision was questioned, it did not have any negative impact in the 90 minutes of the match. Rather, East Bengal dominated from start to finish in running, pressing, physical combat and quick attacks. There were no signs of fatigue among the red and yellow footballers. Habas’ plan has been perfectly implemented on the field by his footballers.
Perfect chart with young defense
Habas’ philosophy—attack wins matches, but defense wins trophies. That is why in the final he formed a great organization in defense with Anwar Ali, Jai Gupta and Hardik Bhatt. McLaren, Sahal did not find a regular place. And Prabsukhon Singh Gill was reliable under the goal even when the ball broke through the defence. On the other hand, Mohun Bagan’s Shubashis Bose, Rahul Bheke and Alberto Rodriguez could not cope with East Bengal’s fast attack.
Rashid-Edmonds dominated the match
East Bengal has shown dominance in the midfield from the start. Mohammad Rashid, Jackson Singh and Dani Ramirez have repeatedly created attacks in Triphala. Habas used Rashid in a special way. Put him in an attacking role in the first half and increased the pressure on Mohun Bagan’s defence. Rashid’s attacks came from his feet and he was directly involved in two goals. When Mohun Bagan attacked in the second half, Habas tightened the defense by bringing Rashid down a bit.
The table of attack is from Shubashis side
Analyzing Mohun Bagan’s defence, Habas targeted Shubashis Basu’s side. He used Edmund Lalrindika and Bipin Singh repeatedly in that direction, realizing the problem of his slowing pace and getting back quickly when he got into the attack. Using the speed of the two wingers, East Bengal cracked Mohun Bagan’s defense one after another. The results came quickly—a hat-trick from Edmund and a goal from Bipin. The second half showed Shubashis virtually exhausted.
‘I respect the opponent, that’s why I didn’t score five goals’
After four goals in the first half, memories of the historic 5-0 derby in 1975 returned to the gallery. The red and yellow supporters were also hoping for a fifth goal. Chances came, but in the end the margin was 4-1. When the topic of five goals came up after the match, Habas replied, ‘I respect the opponent. That’s why I didn’t give five goals.’ After winning the first trophy for East Bengal, Habas added that the feeling of winning the trophy by winning the derby is special for him. On the other hand, Panos did not attend the press conference after the loss. He directly boarded the team bus. No Mohun Bagan footballer faced the media after the match.
Habas’s new chart without forwards
East Bengal’s lack of recognized forwards in the team list raised questions ahead of the final. But Habas has shown that technique is more important than player position in modern football. According to him, football has changed a lot and teams like Spain use the false nine. Edmund is also not a recognized striker, but it was he who became the man of the match with a hat-trick in the final, which is the biggest testament to Habas’ record. Along with the 4-1 victory, the Spanish coach also wrote his name in the history of East Bengal by bringing back the Durand Trophy after 22 years.