The 2017–18 season is East Bengal FC's 98th season in existence. The club has won the Calcutta Football League this season for the record consecutive 8th time. The Red and Gold Brigade finished 4th in the much-awaited 2017-18 I League campaign, coming ever so close once again. East Bengal reached the final of the inaugural Indian Super Cup being held at Bhubaneshwar but lost to Bengaluru FC by 4–1.
Bazie Armand was released by East Bengal for his poor performances. He joined Minerva Punjab F.C. for the rest of the season.
Season overview
August
The 7 times defending champions started the Calcutta Football League campaign in style as they defeated the newly promoted side Rainbow FC 4–1 with V P Suhair scoring a hat-trick on his debut, thus becoming the 4th East Bengal player after Ashim Moulick (1963), Shyam Thapa (1966) and Bikash Narzinary (2010) to score a hat-trick on debut. Surabuddin Mollick scored the second hat-trick of the season for East Bengal as he came in from the bench to net 3 against Peerless FC in the second half.
September
East Bengal drew 2–2 against Mohammedan Sporting at Kalyani Stadium in the Mini Derby. Willis Plaza scored the third hat-trick for the season for East Bengal when he took on Tollygunge Agragami just before the big Derby. Maintaining their undefeated streak, East Bengal went on to win the league to win the Calcutta Football League for a record consecutive 8 times, bettering their own record of 1970–75. Mohun Bagan drew 2–2 in the derby which helped East Bengal secure their 8th consecutive league win via Goal Difference as both teams were on 23 points from 9 games. East Bengal was crowned champions for a record 39th time.
East Bengal also roped in defensive midfielder Armand Bazzie from Rainbow FC after impressing coach Khalid Jamil in trails. Carlyle Mitchell had to be released as he sustained an injury which would keep him out of action for the rest of the season. Former Mohun Bagan defender Eduardo Ferreira was brought in as the replacement.
November
East Bengal drew 1–1 against Bengaluru FC in the first preseason game while lost 3–1 in the second match against the same opponents. FC Pune City won the 3rd preseason game by a close margin 2–1. East Bengal came back in style as they won the next two preseason games, 2–1 against FC Goa and 3–1 against Jamshedpur FC. Armand Bazzie gained a lot of praise in the preseason games, while Mahmoud Amnah and Katsumi Yusa formed a formidable pair which is providing hopes for Red and Gold fans for the upcoming I League, which East Bengal has not won since 2004. East Bengal started off the I League campaign with a 2–2 draw against the defending champions Aizawl FC. East Bengal squandered a 2-goal lead scored by Eduardo Ferreira and Katsumi Yusa to get equalized in the dying seconds of the match. Next up they face their arch-rivals in the first I League Kolkata Derby of the season, when they face Mohun Bagan on 3 December at the Salt Lake Stadium.
East Bengal faced Indian Arrows away at Delhi on 2 January next and fielded a squad without start man Willis Plaza who carried an injury from the last game against NEROCA FC. Young Jobi Justin started in place of Willis Plaza. East Bengal managed to get an early lead when Mahmoud Amnah scored from a free kick in the 13th minute. Katsumi Yusa doubled the lead in the 16th minute after receiving a ball from Amnah from the right. East Bengal managed to hold onto a 2–0 lead and came out with important 3 points from a tough away game. East Bengal now sit on top of the league table with 17 points from 8 games. East Bengal faced Churchill Brothers away at Tilak Maidan in Goa on 8 January next and dropped 2 valuable points after drawing 1–1 against the bottom-placed side in the league table. East Bengal went ahead with a terrific header by young Jobi Justin from a Laldanmawia Ralte cross from the right. East Bengal were leading the proceedings in the match when suddenly from a counter-attack Churchill's new signing Mechac Koffi scored a blinder from outside the box. East Bengal now has 18 points from 9 games with 9 more games to go. East Bengal released their foreign import Charles after a series of poor performances by the Brazilian. He was replaced by Dudu Omagbemi who joined for his second stint for the Red and Golds after 2014–15 Season where he scored 20 goals for East Bengal in all competitions. East Bengal faced Aizawl FC away at Rajiv Gandhi Stadium in Aizawl on 16 January next wherein tough altitude conditions East Bengal managed a goalless draw against the defending champions. A lack-luster display from the Red and Golds along with poor attacking cost East Bengal vital 2 points before the return Kolkata Derby of the I League, which also meant East Bengal now trail by 6 points to League leaders Minerva Punjab FC with 8 more matches to go. East Bengal faced Mohun Bagan for the second Kolkata Derby of the I League on 21 January at the Salt Lake Stadium next and lost by a 2–0 margin with Dipanda Dicka netting a brace. Dicka scored in the first minute after Akram Moghrabi headed down a cross from the right. Dicka scored the second of the day when he acrobatically volleyed the ball into the net from a corner in the 35th minute. Mohun Bagan could have scored more if not their forwards missed sitters. East Bengal now seems out of the title race and currently sits 3rd in the league table with 19 points from 11 matches. East Bengal released their foreign import Willis Plaza after a series of poor performances and lack of goals from the star forward who was also carrying a thigh injury along. East Bengal roped in Liberian Ansumana Kromah who was released by Mohun Bagan earlier in the transfer window. The former Green and Maroon attacking midfielder will boost the Red and Gold attacking set up. East Bengal faced Minerva Punjab F.C. on 30 January at the Barasat Stadium next where in a crunch game East Bengal managed a 2–2 draw, coming back from 0–2 at HT. Minerva Punjab F.C. went ahead in the 20th minute when Sukhdev Singh scored from a rebound. Minerva Punjab F.C. extended their lead in the 33rd minute when their star Bhutanese man Chencho Gyeltshen scored dribbling past two defenders. After Half Time, East Bengal came out with renewed vigour and rallied back into the game with goals from Jobi Justin in the 59th minute from a Katsumi Yusa corner and Brandon Vanlalremdika in the 88th minute. East Bengal could have come out with all 3 points if not their star Japanese man Katsumi Yusa missed from the spot early in the second half. East Bengal now sits at 3rd spot in the League Table with 20 points from 12 games with 6 more matches to go.
February
East Bengal released another of their foreign import Armand Bazie for his poor performances throughout the League campaign. Bazie is the third foreign player after Charles and Willis Plaza that East Bengal has released during the ongoing I League season. East Bengal faced Indian Arrows on 4 February at the Barasat Stadium next where after a frustrating performance by the Red and Gold front line, East Bengal managed to score in the dying minute of the match, when Dudu Omagbemi found the net from a glancing header in the 93rd minute, taking a 1–0 lead, ensuring 3 points for the Red and Golds who now sits 3rd in the table with 23 points from 13 games, with 5 more to go. East Bengal faced Minerva Punjab F.C. on 13 February at the Tau Devi Lal Stadium in Panchkula next and in a do-or-die game against the league leaders East Bengal managed a 1–0 win with a sublime strike from Cavin Lobo in the 60th minute. East Bengal managed to hold on to the lead and reduced the gap to just 3 points from the league leaders Minerva Punjab F.C.East Bengal now sits at 26 points from 14 games with just 4 more to go. East Bengal roped in Uganda national football team Defensive Midfield player Khalid Aucho as a replacement for 'Armand Bazie'. He played for Serbian giants Red Star Belgrade before getting released in July 2017. East Bengal faced Gokulam Kerala F.C. on 17 February at the EMS Stadium in Kozhikode next and lost 2–1 to the home side after leading 1–0 at Half-time courtesy of a spot-kick from Katsumi Yusa in the injury time before the break. Gokulam Kerala F.C. came back hard in the second half and rallied to score two goals to snatch back to back wins. This loss has hurt the title ambitions for the Red and Golds, with just 3 matches to go. East Bengal faced Chennai City FC on 24 February at the Salt Lake Stadium next and in a do-or-die game, the Red and Gold brigade ran riot against the southerners and clinched an all-important 7–1 win. Mahmoud Amnah opened the scoring in the 20th minute and since then the floodgates were opened. Dharmaraj Ravanan placed the ball into his own net for the second goal when he misjudged the cross from Lalramchullova. Dudu Omagbemi finally rose to the occasion and showed his class and scored in the next 4 goals, thus becoming the fourth East Bengal player to score a hat-trick in the season and first in this I League. Gabriel Fernandes came on in the 80th minute for his first appearance in the I League and in no time put his name in the scoresheet with a sublime strike from outside the box to make it 7–1 for the hosts. Eduardo Ferreira got his 4th booking and will miss the vital away game against Shillong Lajong on 5 March. East Bengal now sits 2nd in the table with just 2 more matches to go.
