East Bengal’s wait for the National men’s top-flight title has extended over two decades. In 2026, it remains on the brink of clinching the title, now called the Indian Super League (ISL).
Before the final matchday, Sportstar looks at what happened when East Bengal last clinched the title in April 2004. Here are excerpts from that match:
East Bengal kept its date with history in style, retaining the eighth edition of the National Football League with two rounds to spare.
The opportunity was perfectly chosen as the Red-and-Gold brigade performed the feat in front of a boisterous home crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium, beating the bottom-placed Chennai visitor Indian Bank 3-0 here in a 20th round match on Wednesday.
Celebrations gained crescendo as old records tumbled to give way for new as the city giant matched its traditional rival — Mohun Bagan — winning the crown for the third time. The fixtures still have 16 more matches, but the championship was already decided as East Bengal kept its incredible march ahead, netting 46 points.
The schedule will now hover around determining the other positions below.
East Bengal, however, has another record to chase — breaking the 50-point barrier in the table. East Bengal will now travel to Goa to play the remaining two matches against Churchill Brothers (May 2) and Haywards Sporting Clube (May 12).
The contest on Wednesday was reduced to a formality, as the Chennai side did not possess the ammunition to dent the resolve of the host. Baichung Bhutia, Brazilian Douglas Da Silva and Dipankar Roy scored in that order.
The only option left for Indian Bank in the match was defending, and the visitor deputed half the strength of the team in the back. Bhutia drew the first blood, finishing one such move in the 19th minute.
Published on May 21, 2026