All to play for: Goa gaffer Manolo Marquez and EBFC coach Bino George ahead of the Super Cup final.
| Photo Credit: X@IndianFootball
Ahead of the AIFF Super Cup final, there was no escaping the fact that it was defending champion FC Goa, with more competitive football under its belt and home comforts, which enters Sunday’s showdown against East Bengal with its nose slightly in front.
Brison Fernandes, Goa’s semifinal goal-scorer, was confident enough to admit it.
“I think so [on favourite tag]. If we are together, we will lift the trophy,” Brison said at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Saturday.
While a silverware is the immediate reward on offer, a victory offers so much more — an AFC Champions League 2 spot. The importance is not lost on East Bengal, too, having won the 2024 edition of the Super Cup.
How EBFC’s midfield trio fares could decide the fate of the final. Saul Crespo, Miguel Ferreira and Mohammed Rashid possess the quality to impose themselves and come up with match-defining moments.
Even in the absence of the suspended Iker Guarrotxena, Goa boats a better attacking threat. The stand-in skipper and attacking midfielder Borja Herrera holds the aces.
The Spaniard links Goa’s midfield and attack with his ability to drift into pockets and play line-breaking passes to find the speedy runners in Brison and Dejan Drazic. The three have a combined five goals between them.
Goa did not know what was in store when it won the title last time but the continental berth in Asia’s second-tier club competition has allowed it to stay afloat.
On Sunday, the title offers both clubs one last hope of salvation.
Published – December 06, 2025 07:26 pm IST
