Tears of Joy in the City of Joy: After 22 years, East Bengal have won the Indian league

East Bengal players celebrate the Indian Super League trophy in front of their fans. (Image credits – The Run Of Play)

East Bengal has finally done what many thought would be impossible before the Indian Super League season started; the Red and Gold brigade has finally clinched the league title after a 22-year wait. On a historic occasion in the city of joy, Kolkata, the Bangal Brigade filled the stands of the Kishore Bharti Stadium against Inter Kashi as they won 2-1 to win the title on the last matchday, their first league title since winning the National Football League back in the 2003-04 season.

This isn't just a title win; this is a redemption for one of the biggest clubs in India alongside their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan. For years, generations of supporters have gone through heartbreaks and near misses, watched the club lose superiority and watched their fiercest rivals clinch back-to-back league titles. Yet hope never died within these passionate fans, and they continued to fill stadiums with their iconic red and gold and sing the chants.

However, the Red and Gold Brigade was made to do it the hard way by the newly promoted Inter Kashi. East Bengal fell behind early in the 15th minute when Spanish forward Alfred Planas latched on to a long ball from David Humanes and struck first time, silencing a stadium packed with East Bengal fans. Until half-time, the fans started to feel that the ghosts of their past were coming back to haunt them again, but coach Oscar Bruzon had other plans.

Bruzon’s side showed incredible mentality in the second half, and the Indian Super League’s golden boot winner Youssef Ezzejjari equalised after getting played on by Anwar Ali and capitalising on the Kashi goalkeeper’s mistake. As the clock struck 72 minutes, skipper Mohammad Rashid netted a floating cross into the box by Bipin, and the stadium erupted into a loud roar. The Kolkata giants defended brilliantly in the remaining game and emerged victorious against a resilient Inter Kashi side.

East Bengal Ultras, India's oldest Ultras group. (Image credits – The Run Of Play)

For the East Bengal fans, this moment meant everything, and the fans stormed onto the pitch after the referee blew the whistle, which erased all the suffering for the past 22 years. There was a time when the Red and Gold brigade used to dominate Indian football and were the only side to win an Asian competition, the ASEAN Championship, which even earned them the title of India's best.

However, the post-Indian Super League era was simply painful. They had come close to winning the I-League but finished runners-up in 2010, 2011 and 2019. In the ISL, every other club adapted the transition from the I-League to the ISL quickly, but they failed to adapt, and it led to struggles financially and sportingly. The club endured disappointing league finishes within the range of 9th to 11th, which is absolutely unacceptable for a club of this high standard and fanbase in India.

Whenever East Bengal steps onto the field, fans expect them to win, but failure to do so is frustrating. Every trophyless season felt like a shot of an arrow to their legacy-rich history. This is why winning the league meant so much for the fans, and the tears weren't of sadness but of joy for a moment they've been craving for over two decades. Grandfathers and fathers who witnessed the club's glory days can now proudly sink into the celebrations with the grandchildren, and that's exactly how the club's legacy has lived on for over a hundred years.

The architect of this East Bengal team, Oscar Bruzon. (Image credits – The Run Of Play)

East Bengal regained their mentality, which had been missing since Trevor Morgan's era. The main credit has to go to the tactician in chief, Oscar Bruzon. He transformed the side into one of the most tactically efficient sides in India, defensively disciplined, effective in transitions and lethal in front of goal. The club also recorded their longest unbeaten run of 9 games in their ISL history not because of luck but because of having the ability to respond in critical moments and bouncing back from situations where other teams would have crumbled.

Youssef Ezzejjari, Miguel Figuera, Mohammed Rashid, Anwar Ali, Saul Crespo, Souvik Chakroborty, Bipin Singh, Jeakson Singh and Prabhsukhan Gill, alongside all the other players of the squad, have become immortal in the hearts of all East Bengal fans after this triumph. This wasn't just a win for East Bengal but also a win for Kolkata football, as the rivalry between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal is back on top, and it's not just any rivalry; it's the fiercest rivalry in Asia, built on culture, history and passion passed down from generation to generation.

This is also great news for Indian football. The final day of the ISL carried hopes for five teams, and it was all drama. Five teams, East Bengal, Mohun Bagan, Mumbai City, Punjab FC, and Jamshedpur FC, were alive in the title race, while rivals Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City pushed East Bengal down to the last minute as both the teams won their must-win games and hoped for the Red and Gold brigade to drop points.

However, instead of collapsing, Oscar Bruzon’s side showed character, and the fans can finally say that the wait is over and they are the “Champions of India". East Bengal has also qualified for Asian football next season, as they'll brace themselves for the AFC Champions League 2 qualification and hope for a spot in the group stages.