East Bengal and FC Goa square off in Super Cup final with AFC Champions League 2 spot at stake

Margao, Dec 6 (PTI) East Bengal FC and FC Goa, the champions of the past two editions, will square off in the summit clash of the Super Cup football tournament here on Sunday, with the winning team booking a berth in the AFC Champions League Two Preliminary Stage.

Kolkata giants East Bengal won the title in 2024 and they would be looking to go level with FC Goa in terms of the number of Super Cup trophies. FC Goa, the defending champions, have their maiden title in 2019.

The Gaurs are on a six match winning streak against the Red and Golds, five of them with a one-goal margin. However, the last time they met outside the Indian Super League, East Bengal ran out 1-0 winners in the 2018 Super Cup semi-finals.

Like the semi-finals, FC Goa will again miss captain and defender Sandesh Jhingan as he is out with a calf injury. Striker Iker Guarrotxena, who was shown a red card before the start of the semi-final, will also be unavailable for the final.

East Bengal will have to take the field without head coach Óscar Bruzón in the final after he was sent off during their 3-1 semi-final win over Punjab FC. But the plan remains intact, according to assistant coach Bino George.

“First of all, it is a moment of pride for East Bengal Club, players and our supporters. A couple of months ago, we lost the Durand Cup semi-final and later the IFA Shield final. Now this is the time. We are here to compete and fight for the cup," said George.

“FC Goa are a good team, and we respect them. They are good with build-ups. We're focused on our preparations. We aren't just here to participate but to fight and become champions.” East Bengal captain Saúl Crespo and FC Goa's Borja Herrera have already won two Super Cup titles, and both would be looking for their third on Sunday.

East Bengal have never won against FC Goa at the JLN Stadium here, so that's a piece of history George's side will need to script if they are to become Super Cup champions again. More East Bengal fans are expected to travel from Kolkata to Goa for the final.

FC Goa, on the other hand, will become the first club to win three Super Cup titles if they beat East Bengal on Sunday.

"The excitement is always there when you play a final. It doesn’t matter if it’s twice or seven times. It’s a final, and both teams will have the same excitement. In fact, we are the last two teams to win this trophy. I think it will be a good final,” said FC Goa head coach Manolo Márquez.

"They (East Bengal) have a strong squad this year. And it's not just the starters. If you saw the bench the other day, the team is very strong. They can beat all opponents in the competition.

"We will try to play a good game in our style. But it’s a final, and you have to control emotions, be strong, and avoid showing weaknesses. Sometimes it’s about the details. Yes, we play at home, and yes, East Bengal will have some fans, but obviously I prefer to play here than in Kolkata.” Comparatively, FC Goa have arrived in a better rhythm courtesy of playing six high-intensity games in the ACL Two against Al Zawra'a, Al Nassr, Istiklol and Al Seeb so far this season. But Márquez opined that rhythm and match fitness alone will not give his side an advantage in the final.

“It’s true that theoretically, it should be an advantage after playing more competitive games. But on the other side, for example, in the semi-final, we played a great first half, but in the second half, we were practically waiting for full-time because Mumbai City, without games and without many training sessions, played better than us.

"Football is crazy. We've seen that teams in the Durand Cup and Super Cup, without many training sessions, have done very well," said the former India head coach.

"I feel we were overconfident (in the semi-final). These things are dangerous in knockout matches. You need high concentration for 90, 95, 120 minutes, and even the penalty shootout." On the absence of Jhingan and Guarrotxena, he said, "Everyone knows Sandesh is a very important player, but we were without him the day before yesterday.

"Everyone is important in the squad. I don’t think we’ll win or lose because one player is missing. If you lose 10 players, maybe yes. But not one." PTI PDS PDS ATK