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Despite the absence of their top three players, Churchill Brothers managed to pip Kolkata outfit Prayag United to lift their third Durand Cup title via tie-breaker at Ambedkar stadium on Saturday evening.
For Prayag United, who enjoyed more ball possession, star striker Yusif Yakubu missed the last shot and with that kick that went way ward, Prayag's dream of defending the title went for a toss. Churchill Brothers' Denzil Franco kept cool to shoot past the ball behind the Prayag goalkeeper to seal the match.
For Prayag, Kayne Vincent, Md. Rafique, Bello Rasaq and S Malsawm Tlunga found the target while for Churchill, Lalrindke Ralte, Zakeer Mundampara, Bineesh Balan, Aunjun Matthew Kouacic and Denzil Franco scored during the tie-breaker.
Prayag coach Sanjay Sen tried to gamble with Somnath Khara for the tie-breakers, replacing regular keeper Abhijit Mondal, but the reserve goalie showed poor anticipation as his dives were never on the correct side.
With a sizeable crowd thronging the stadium and two evenly-matched teams playing at the final, the stage was set for an enthralling clash.
But, with the Goans missing their top striker Henry Arnaud, who was forced to sit out because of dual yellow cards during the semifinal and skipper Roberto Silva and Bineesh Balan missing due to injuries, it seemed that Prayag had the upperhand,
But, Churchill's young players managed the space well and gave Prayag a run for their money. They should thank goalkeeper Felix Dsouza who shone better than the dazzling floodlights at the Ambedkar Stadium.
Prayag got many chances but failed to convert any. They got a chance to lead as early as 2nd minute when a well-directed corner from Lukram James Singh and connected by Denson Devadas hit the crossbar before Raju Yamnam cleared the ball for Churchill.
Churchill played with a 4-1-4-1 formation and replaced Henry with Opara and Ravanan Dharmaraj played in place of Roberto Silva. But they were relatively slow as compared to their previous matches.
In the 18th minute, Prayag got another chance when Arnab Mondol's rising shot off a corner from James Singh was thwarted by the Churchill goalkeeper. Then again in the 35th minute, Josimar failed to connect a well measured Bello Rasaq cross from the top of the box.
Felix again emerged as a saviour for Churchill just two minutes before the half-time when he dived to his right and palmed out Yakubu's powerful shot off a corner.
The second half was dominated by Churchill Brothers who played well-constructed and disciplined football.
Denzil Franco, who scored the last shot said that despite pressure, he kept his cool to shut the door for Prayag.
When asked whether the pressure was their or not, he said, “Obviously pressure remains in games like this and especially in the dead end, but I kept my nerve and coolly flicked the ball. Under pressure, one cannot be in normal state and can flounder. I am happy to convert that one. This is my second trophy after the 2007 SAFF cup wins for India."
Churchill coach Manuel Gomes expressed happiness with this win. "I am very happy with the performance of the team .We fought well and created many chances. Unfortunately, we couldn't convert them and the match went into penalties. It is a fantastic win because we missed our top 3 quality players. Young players played as a unit against a good team. It has been a good preparation for the I-League," he said.
Meanwhile, Prayag coach Sanjay Sen rued the missed opportunities.
"We missed a lot of chances but someone has to win, someone has to loose. It happens. A bit of luck could have given us the win. But, boys played their hearts out throughout the tournament. Overall, we have displayed organised and disciplined football and I am satisfied with the team's performance. You can't put the blame on Yakubu but it happens. Even greats of the game like Pele, Maradona, Messi have missed it," he said.
With the win, Churchill Brothers pocketed Rs 20 Lakh with the winning the trophy and Prayag United got Rs 10 lakh.
For Prayag United, who enjoyed more ball possession, star striker Yusif Yakubu missed the last shot and with that kick that went way ward, Prayag's dream of defending the title went for a toss. Churchill Brothers' Denzil Franco kept cool to shoot past the ball behind the Prayag goalkeeper to seal the match.
For Prayag, Kayne Vincent, Md. Rafique, Bello Rasaq and S Malsawm Tlunga found the target while for Churchill, Lalrindke Ralte, Zakeer Mundampara, Bineesh Balan, Aunjun Matthew Kouacic and Denzil Franco scored during the tie-breaker.
Prayag coach Sanjay Sen tried to gamble with Somnath Khara for the tie-breakers, replacing regular keeper Abhijit Mondal, but the reserve goalie showed poor anticipation as his dives were never on the correct side.
With a sizeable crowd thronging the stadium and two evenly-matched teams playing at the final, the stage was set for an enthralling clash.
But, with the Goans missing their top striker Henry Arnaud, who was forced to sit out because of dual yellow cards during the semifinal and skipper Roberto Silva and Bineesh Balan missing due to injuries, it seemed that Prayag had the upperhand,
But, Churchill's young players managed the space well and gave Prayag a run for their money. They should thank goalkeeper Felix Dsouza who shone better than the dazzling floodlights at the Ambedkar Stadium.
Prayag got many chances but failed to convert any. They got a chance to lead as early as 2nd minute when a well-directed corner from Lukram James Singh and connected by Denson Devadas hit the crossbar before Raju Yamnam cleared the ball for Churchill.
Churchill played with a 4-1-4-1 formation and replaced Henry with Opara and Ravanan Dharmaraj played in place of Roberto Silva. But they were relatively slow as compared to their previous matches.
In the 18th minute, Prayag got another chance when Arnab Mondol's rising shot off a corner from James Singh was thwarted by the Churchill goalkeeper. Then again in the 35th minute, Josimar failed to connect a well measured Bello Rasaq cross from the top of the box.
Felix again emerged as a saviour for Churchill just two minutes before the half-time when he dived to his right and palmed out Yakubu's powerful shot off a corner.
The second half was dominated by Churchill Brothers who played well-constructed and disciplined football.
Denzil Franco, who scored the last shot said that despite pressure, he kept his cool to shut the door for Prayag.
When asked whether the pressure was their or not, he said, “Obviously pressure remains in games like this and especially in the dead end, but I kept my nerve and coolly flicked the ball. Under pressure, one cannot be in normal state and can flounder. I am happy to convert that one. This is my second trophy after the 2007 SAFF cup wins for India."
Churchill coach Manuel Gomes expressed happiness with this win. "I am very happy with the performance of the team .We fought well and created many chances. Unfortunately, we couldn't convert them and the match went into penalties. It is a fantastic win because we missed our top 3 quality players. Young players played as a unit against a good team. It has been a good preparation for the I-League," he said.
Meanwhile, Prayag coach Sanjay Sen rued the missed opportunities.
"We missed a lot of chances but someone has to win, someone has to loose. It happens. A bit of luck could have given us the win. But, boys played their hearts out throughout the tournament. Overall, we have displayed organised and disciplined football and I am satisfied with the team's performance. You can't put the blame on Yakubu but it happens. Even greats of the game like Pele, Maradona, Messi have missed it," he said.
With the win, Churchill Brothers pocketed Rs 20 Lakh with the winning the trophy and Prayag United got Rs 10 lakh.
