Mohun Bagan 2-1 SC Delhi Highlights, ISL 2025-26: McLaren Scores Winner In Vain; EBFC Win Title

Good evening, football fans! This is the start of our live blog covering the biggest day this season in Indian football – one of the title decider matches between Mohun Bagan and SC Delhi! Stay tuned for pre-match updates and line-ups as they are released.

A big day in the sporting world. Gujarat Titans play Chennai Super Kings, which is a key match in deciding the qualifiers of IPL 2026 playoffs. On the other hand, ISL 2026 sees the last round of games with East Bengal playing Inter Kashi along with Mohun Bagan taking on SC Delhi.

The high-stakes Kolkata Derby between Mohun Bagan Super Giant and East Bengal FC at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday, May 17, completely lived up to its billing, ending in a dramatic 1-1 draw that leaves the ISL title race wide open. Following a tense, scoreless first half highlighted by a missed opportunity from Sahal Abdul Samad and Anton Søjberg striking the post for East Bengal, the match exploded with late-game chaos. The deadlock was finally broken in the 85th minute when East Bengal substitute Edmund Lalrindika latched onto a brilliant through ball from Miguel Figueira to slot it past Vishal Kaith, sending the Red-and-Gold fans into a frenzy. However, the joy was short-lived as Mohun Bagan struck back just four miles down the road in the 89th minute, with Jason Cummings flicking a near-post header off a Dimitri Petratos corner to rescue a crucial equalizer. Stoppage time brought extra drama with Lalrindika receiving a red card and Prabhsukhan Singh Gill pulling off a sensational left-leg save against Jamie Maclaren to preserve the draw, leaving both fierce rivals tied at the top on 23 points heading into the final matchday.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s last national league triumph was a historic, record-breaking campaign during the 2024–25 Indian Super League (ISL) season, where they completed a magnificent domestic double. By capturing both the League Winners' Shield and the ISL Cup in April 2025, the Mariners cemented their era of dominance, becoming only the second club in Indian football history—after Mumbai City FC in 2020–21—to achieve the feat in a single season.

The first half of their double was secured through absolute consistency in the league stage. Mohun Bagan shattered records by becoming the first team in ISL history to breach the 50-point milestone, finishing the regular season at the absolute summit of the table with an unprecedented 56 points. This relentless run allowed them to successfully defend their League Winners' Shield, showcasing a clinical blend of tactical discipline and devastating attacking fluidity.

The crowning glory arrived on April 13, 2025, in a dramatic ISL Cup final against Bengaluru FC at a packed Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium). The Mariners found themselves in a spot of bother early in the second half when defender Alberto Rodríguez accidentally bundled the ball into his own net in the 49th minute. Refusing to let the title slip away on home turf, Mohun Bagan rallied fiercely. The equalizer came in the 72nd minute when talismanic Australian forward Jason Cummings stepped up to calmly convert a crucial penalty after a Bengaluru handball.

With the scores locked at 1-1, the match headed into a high-octane extra-time period. The decisive moment came in the 96th minute when marquee striker Jamie Maclaren pounced on defensive vulnerability inside the box, unleashing a fierce strike that beat Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to find the center of the net. The stadium erupted as the Mariners held on for a memorable 2-1 victory, sealing their second ISL Cup title and writing one of the most glorious chapters in the club's modern history.

The 2025–26 Indian Super League (ISL) season is heading into a historic and extraordinarily tense final matchday. In a major departure from previous editions, a shortened single-leg format has removed the traditional post-season playoffs and championship final completely. The stakes are direct and absolute: whichever club sits at the absolute peak of the standings when the final whistles blow simultaneously across the country will be crowned the outright champions of India. With five teams mathematically alive for the title, the stage is set for a dramatic evening where every single goal will trigger massive changes across the live table.

East Bengal FC currently occupy the driver’s seat as frontrunners to end their agonizing 22-year national league title drought. Tied at the top on 23 points alongside arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giant, the Red-and-Gold Brigade hold a critical advantage with a superior goal difference of +18 compared to Mohun Bagan's +13. For Óscar Bruzón's men, the equation against Inter Kashi is beautifully straightforward: a victory securely delivers the championship trophy to the club, unless Mohun Bagan pulls off a highly improbable margin of victory against Sporting Club Delhi that is six goals greater than East Bengal's own winning margin.

Defending champions Mohun Bagan Super Giant find their path to a consecutive crown heavily reliant on a slip-up from their eternal rivals. Because of the five-goal deficit in goal difference, a simple victory over SC Delhi at the Salt Lake Stadium may not be enough for Sergio Lobera's side if East Bengal also wins cleanly. The Mariners must go all-out for a high-scoring, ruthless win while fervently hoping that Inter Kashi can play spoilsport and force East Bengal to drop points. Meanwhile, Bengaluru FC also sit on 23 points but have played all 13 of their matches; their vastly inferior +6 goal difference makes it mathematically impossible for them to claim the top spot.

Lurking just a single point behind the Kolkata giants are Punjab FC and Mumbai City FC, both poised on 22 points to execute an iconic final-day heist. The two outside contenders square off against each other in New Delhi in a brutal, winner-takes-all encounter. If either side emerges victorious to reach 25 points, they will snatch the ISL championship away in dramatic fashion—provided both East Bengal and Mohun Bagan collapse and fail to win their respective games. Even sixth-placed Jamshedpur FC remains mathematically alive on 21 points, though their path requires an astronomical goal-difference swing and a fictional script of perfect losses above them, leaving the true title showdown as a thrilling four-way sprint to the finish line.

Date: Thursday, May 21, 2026

Kick-off Time: 7:30 PM IST (Simultaneous kick-off with all other final-day games)

Venue: Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan (Salt Lake Stadium), Kolkata

Live Telecast (India): Sony Sports Network (Sony Sports Ten 1)

Live Streaming: FanCode app and website

The match is underway. SC Delhi are in their white kit and are attacking from left to right. Meanwhile, Mohun Bagan in their signature green and maroon kit and are building up from right to left. SC Delhi have taken MBSG by surprise and already taken a shot at the goal.

SC Delhi have been the better side in the first ten minutes of the game. They have produced some threatening attacks and rocked the Mohun Bagan defence. They earned a free kick at the edge of the box and Aimen's shot from there hit the crossbar before flying over. Meanwhile, Sourav looked dangerous from the right hand side and he almost opened the goal by rounding up Liston Colaco. Solid start from the visitors.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have gradually taken the control of the game. A threatening cross from Manveer Singh got narrowly cleared. Goalkeeper saved a shot and Dimitri Petratos found the side netting with a shot from the left side. They are gradually creating pressure and East Bengal conceding in the other match has made their chances bigger.

The waves of attack are absolutely relentless at the Salt Lake Stadium!

Mohun Bagan Super Giant have just earned yet another corner in what has turned into a total siege of the SC Delhi penalty area. Playmaker Dimitri Petratos swung a dangerous delivery deep into the box, finding defender Mehtab Singh, who rose highest to thump a powerful header. Unfortunately for the Mariners, his effort went straight into the waiting arms of Delhi goalkeeper Nora Fernandes, who managed to collect it safely.

With Mohun Bagan pouring men forward in massive numbers, they are utterly dominating possession and territory. Sensing that East Bengal are currently trailing 1-0 down the road, the Mariners know a single goal right now would put them in absolute pole position to win the ISL championship. SC Delhi's defensive block is bending, but it hasn't broken yet!

You can feel the collective gasp across Kolkata!

It is an absolute horror miss from Manvir Singh at the Salt Lake Stadium, and Mohun Bagan Super Giant have thrown away a golden opportunity to take complete control of the ISL championship race!

Talisman Jason Cummings delivered an absolute peach of an inch-perfect corner right into the danger area. Manvir read the flight beautifully, sprinting onto the ball completely unmarked with acres of space at the near post. Standing just outside the six-yard box, all he had to do was guide it on target—but he thumped his header agonizingly wide of the post.

It genuinely looked much easier to hit the target than to miss from there. With East Bengal trailing 1-0 down the road, the Mariners are absolutely throwing everything at SC Delhi, but this shocking wastefulness could come back to haunt them!

Incredible, absolute theater at the Salt Lake Stadium! We have just witnessed one of the most frantic, mind-boggling sequences of the entire ISL season, and Jason Cummings has somehow produced a miss that will go down in football folklore.

The chaos began when a cross found Cummings inside the box, but his initial header went straight toward Nora Fernandes. In a moment of madness, the SC Delhi goalkeeper tamely patted the ball right back out into the danger zone instead of gathering it. Marquee striker Jamie Maclaren pounced on the loose ball, but Nora somehow managed to spread himself and pull off a miraculous block on the follow-up.

Then came the defining moment of disbelief: the rebound broke perfectly to Cummings, who was standing barely a yard and a half away from an completely exposed, gaping net. With the entire goal to aim at and the championship on the line, the Australian talisman somehow contrived to blast his shot skyward, slamming it straight into Row Z of the stands.

It is halftime at a breathless Salt Lake Stadium, and the tension is palpable as Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Sporting Club Delhi remain deadlocked at 0-0.

Despite completely dominating possession and turning the opening 45 minutes into a total siege of the SC Delhi penalty box, the defending champions have been plagued by a mix of stellar goalkeeping and jaw-dropping wastefulness.

The Mariners have poured forward in numbers, throwing everything at the visitors' defensive block. The pressure-cooker atmosphere nearly paid off when defender Mehtab Singh rose highest to thump a powerful header off a precision corner, only for SC Delhi keeper Nora Fernandes to save it right on the line.

Moments later, a golden opportunity was squandered when Manvir Singh sprinted into acres of space at the near post to meet an inch-perfect delivery from Jason Cummings, only to head it agonizingly wide from point-blank range. The ultimate moment of disbelief, however, came just before the whistle; after Nora Fernandes spilled a tame header, Jamie Maclaren’s follow-up was blocked, and the rebound broke to Cummings just a yard and a half out from an exposed net. Astonishingly, the Australian talisman blasted his strike into Row Z, leaving the Mohun Bagan bench in utter despair

The Salt Lake Stadium is tearing its hair out in absolute frustration! Mohun Bagan Super Giant are doing absolutely everything right on the pitch—except the one thing that matters most.

The brilliant Sahal Abdul Samad just produced a moment of pure magic, dancing his way past three desperate SC Delhi tackles inside the packed penalty box with jaw-dropping footwork. With the angle closing down rapidly, he unleashed a fierce, venomous shot aimed high at the near post, but once again, the elusive opening goal slipped away.

The Mariners are playing beautiful, dominant football and asking all the questions, but with news filtering in that East Bengal have equalized down the road, this lack of a clinical edge is agonizing. Time is ticking away, and Bagan desperately need to turn this artistic dominance into a tangible goal!

A rare moment of respite for the visitors as SC Delhi finally managed a brief stint of sustained possession—their first real spell on the ball since the opening five minutes of the match.

Mohun Bagan's pressing unit put an end to it soon enough, snuffing out the danger and winning the ball back, but the Mariners' transition play immediately let them down. Once again, uncharacteristically sloppy touches and loose passing in the midfield meant they completely squandered the turnover, failing to build anything substantial out of the counter-attack.

The frustration is visibly growing on the Bagan bench and in the stands. With the clock ticking down and the championship slipping away toward the red-and-gold half of the city, these unforced errors are costing the Mariners precious time.

An absolute script-writer's dream, but a living nightmare for Mohun Bagan Super Giant! The Salt Lake Stadium has been collectively struck dumb.

Out of absolutely nowhere, SC Delhi have stunned the defending champions. A sensational, deep-floated delivery was whipped into the penalty area, and defender Clarence Fernandes timed his run to perfection, steering an exceptional, world-class header directly into the far corner of the net. The sheer quality and clinical ruthlessness of Clarence's finish was a masterclass—the exact kind of lethal execution the Mariners have been desperately lacking all evening.

This goal completely tears up the championship script. With SC Delhi taking a 1-0 lead, the math has become incredibly brutal for the Mariners. Regardless of East Bengal's scoreline or what happens anywhere else in the league, Mohun Bagan now need to dig deep and score at least two goals to salvage their title defense. They will be looking back at their mountain of missed first-half sitters with absolute, agonizing regret!

That is an absolute world-class, breathtaking stop from Vishal Kaith! Just when it looked like Sporting Club Delhi were going to put the final nail in the coffin, the Mohun Bagan shot-stopper produced a moment of absolute salvation.

SC Delhi worked the ball brilliantly out wide, sending a beautifully flighted, looped cross targeting Joseph Sunny right at the penalty spot. Sunny timed his leap to perfection, ghosting between the central defenders to direct a powerful, looping header bound for the far corner. It had "goal" written all over it, but Kaith somehow read the flight, extended his frame, and threw out a remarkably strong, telepathic left hand to claw the ball away from the line.

It wasn't just about the stop, either—Kaith’s miraculous intervention pushed the ball into the perfect safety zone, allowing a backtracking Deepak Tangri to react instantly and smash it completely clear of the penalty area. The Mariners are still breathing, but their defense is walking a dangerous tightrope right now!

The agony deepens at the Salt Lake Stadium! It is a sequence of play that perfectly encapsulates Mohun Bagan’s entire evening: utter desperation, followed by a fleeting moment of pure ecstasy, only for it to be brutally ripped away by the linesman's flag.

Desperate to find a response after falling behind, the Mariners looked to force the issue from distance. Deepak Tangri collected the ball at the edge of the box and set himself for a strike, but his effort was entirely devoid of composure—predictably flying high and wide, deep into Row Z to the groans of the home support.

But just moments later, the stadium absolutely erupted. A quick offensive transition saw the ball finally put into the back of the net, seemingly giving the Mariners their lifeline. Jamie Maclaren was perfectly positioned to tap it in from close range, sparking wild, brief celebrations on the pitch and in the stands.

The joy was instantaneously silenced. The assistant referee’s flag went up immediately, adjudging Maclaren to be in an offside position at the precise moment of the pass. On first glance, it looked like an extraordinarily tight, razor-thin margin. It is an incredibly contentious call that will be debated long after the final whistle—and one that leaves Mohun Bagan running completely out of time to save their title defense!

MOHUN BAGAN HAVE A LIFELINE! The defending champions have finally broken their Salt Lake duck, and it is a goal that their overwhelming, relentless dominance fully deserved.

It was beautifully worked down the left flank, where the mercurial Liston Colaco picked up the ball, twisted his marker inside out, and swung a sumptuous, absolute peach of a cross right into the danger zone. Manvir Singh anticipated it perfectly, making a desperate, lunging dive across the near post to meet the delivery on the fly, thumping a powerful header into the back of the net from just two yards out!

Almost simultaneously, the fourth official held up the electronic board to reveal a massive EIGHT MINUTES of added time. The stadium announcer barely finished declaring the goal before the roaring crowd realized they still have a pulse in this title race.

However, the math remains incredibly agonizing for the Mariners. Manvir's equalizer makes it 1-1, but drawing isn't enough. Mohun Bagan must find a way to score a second goal to win this game—and even if they do, their fate is completely out of their hands. They are now praying for an absolute miracle down the road at the Kishore Bharati Krirangan, hoping against hope that Inter Kashi can somehow pull off a dramatic, late equalizer against a resolute East Bengal to snatch the League Shield back for the green-and-maroon brigade!

Jamie McLaren finishes from a tight angle to score the winner and then opens his jersey for the celebration, not knowing that it won't be enough for them to win the title. East Bengal beat Inter Kashi and win their first ISL title, which is also their first league crown for the last 22 years!

At the end of the day, the cold, hard reality of the scoreboard is all that matters—and for Mohun Bagan Super Giant, it makes for devastating reading. They can point to the statistics, the structural fluidity, and the mountain of clear-cut opportunities they carved out all night. They had more than enough chances on their boots to completely erase East Bengal’s goal-difference advantage, but their uncharacteristic, shocking profligacy left them with just two goals to show for it. In a championship race decided by razor-thin margins, that simply wasn't good enough. The defending champions ultimately became the architects of their own downfall.

Meanwhile, a look at the final whistle in New Delhi puts a formal, academic seal on the rest of the table. Mumbai City FC took full advantage of a completely imploding, nine-man Punjab FC side. With literally the final kick of the match, Vikram Partap Singh ghosted in to smash home a second goal for Mumbai, securing a comfortable 2-0 victory.

It was a goal scored purely for the record books—it didn't alter the destiny of the ISL League Winners Shield, which had already been triumphantly claimed by East Bengal down the road. But it officially confirmed Mumbai City's status as the closest challengers, wrapping up a breathless, chaotic final day of Indian football!

Seven Indian Super League clubs, including East Bengal, were granted the AIFF Club Licensing Premier 1 licence with sanctions for the 2026-27 season, while applications of several top-flight sides, including Mohun Bagan Super Giant and Kerala Blasters FC, were rejected.

The decisions were taken by the Club Licensing Committee-First Instance Body (CLC-FIB) of the All India Football Federation (AIFF) during its meeting on May 17.

The clubs granted licences with sanctions are NorthEast United FC, East Bengal FC, Jamshedpur FC, Mumbai City FC, Bengaluru FC, FC Goa and Punjab FC.

The applications of Sporting Club Delhi, Odisha FC, Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Chennaiyin FC, Kerala Blasters FC, Mohammedan Sporting Club, and Inter Kashi were rejected.