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KOLKATA: FC Goa captain Edu Bedia fell down under a strong challenge from Mohammedan Sporting’s Milan Singh, and writhing in pain he raised his legs as referee Rahul Gupta rushed towards the scene to flash a yellow card to the Spanish midfielder’s ‘attacker’. Bedia then slowly got back on his feet, caressed the ball before gently placing it on the ground, some five yards away from the left side of the Mohammedan Sporting box.
The match was 105-minute-old, but both teams looked apparently resigned to the fate that the game would be decided in a penalty shootout. As Mohammedan Sporting defenders were anticipating a cross, the FC Goa captain saw the hole in their defensive heart and found space, small but good enough, to drill the ball past everyone to plant it into the far end corner of the net.
The 30000-odd home crowd was stunned into silence as Bedia rushed towards his bench and celebrated wildly. The joy of lifting their maiden Durand Cup in their maiden appearance in the tournament was written all over their body language.
Apart from Nikola Stojanovic’s snap shot, which forced a stunning save from goalkeeper Naveen Kumar, FC Goa kept Mohammedan Sporting at bay in the second half of the extra time to seal the deal. Just the way they frustrated the home team throughout 90 minutes.
In a match, where caution was the catchword, the final never lived up to its billing and it subsequently whittled down to a stage where everything was linked to which defence would last longer under pressure. And the goal was as much about Bedia’s cunningness as it was callousness from the rival rearguard. Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Zothanmawia should have been more alert in dealing with the danger. But it was a collective failure for the home favourites.
The final was supposed to have a sub-plot involving Mohammedan Sporting’s Trinidadian striker Marcus Joseph and FC Goa’s Devendra Murgaokar, who were fighting for the top-scorer’s prize after netting five goals each. A heavily marked Marcus was nowhere near his predatory best while Murgaokar was substituted soon after the start of extra times.
It was cagey 90 minutes where FC Goa allowed Mohammedan Sporting to enjoy better ball possession but goal-scoring opportunities were few and far between and the ISL side was tactically more sound in their defensive shape.
Faizal Ali did find the back of the net five minutes from the break with a snap shot from the edge of the box, but by that time, the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul in the melee in the FC Goa box, leaving the home crowd frustrated.
Thus relieved, FC Goa immediately launched a quickfire counter-offensive. On entering the box, left-back Sanson Pereira provided a magnificent cut-back but Romario Jesuraj volleyed it well over the bar.
The second half meandered along the same pattern, with both teams repeatedly falling short of producing the right performance for the right stage and the competition spilled into extra times for the third knockout match running.
Bedia then seized his moment and led his team to a confidence-boosting title ahead of beginning their ISL campaign.
The match was 105-minute-old, but both teams looked apparently resigned to the fate that the game would be decided in a penalty shootout. As Mohammedan Sporting defenders were anticipating a cross, the FC Goa captain saw the hole in their defensive heart and found space, small but good enough, to drill the ball past everyone to plant it into the far end corner of the net.
The 30000-odd home crowd was stunned into silence as Bedia rushed towards his bench and celebrated wildly. The joy of lifting their maiden Durand Cup in their maiden appearance in the tournament was written all over their body language.
Apart from Nikola Stojanovic’s snap shot, which forced a stunning save from goalkeeper Naveen Kumar, FC Goa kept Mohammedan Sporting at bay in the second half of the extra time to seal the deal. Just the way they frustrated the home team throughout 90 minutes.
In a match, where caution was the catchword, the final never lived up to its billing and it subsequently whittled down to a stage where everything was linked to which defence would last longer under pressure. And the goal was as much about Bedia’s cunningness as it was callousness from the rival rearguard. Mohammedan Sporting goalkeeper Zothanmawia should have been more alert in dealing with the danger. But it was a collective failure for the home favourites.
The final was supposed to have a sub-plot involving Mohammedan Sporting’s Trinidadian striker Marcus Joseph and FC Goa’s Devendra Murgaokar, who were fighting for the top-scorer’s prize after netting five goals each. A heavily marked Marcus was nowhere near his predatory best while Murgaokar was substituted soon after the start of extra times.
It was cagey 90 minutes where FC Goa allowed Mohammedan Sporting to enjoy better ball possession but goal-scoring opportunities were few and far between and the ISL side was tactically more sound in their defensive shape.
Faizal Ali did find the back of the net five minutes from the break with a snap shot from the edge of the box, but by that time, the referee had already blown his whistle for a foul in the melee in the FC Goa box, leaving the home crowd frustrated.
Thus relieved, FC Goa immediately launched a quickfire counter-offensive. On entering the box, left-back Sanson Pereira provided a magnificent cut-back but Romario Jesuraj volleyed it well over the bar.
The second half meandered along the same pattern, with both teams repeatedly falling short of producing the right performance for the right stage and the competition spilled into extra times for the third knockout match running.
Bedia then seized his moment and led his team to a confidence-boosting title ahead of beginning their ISL campaign.
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