Goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee emerged the hero as Kolkata giants East Bengal retained the IFA Shield, pipping Churchill Brothers, Goa, 5-4 via sudden-death in a heart-stopping final in Kolkata on Wednesday.
Mukherjee brought off a fine diving save to thwart the sixth penalty shot taken by Churchill's Tikken Singh and pint-sized midfield dynamo Shashthi Duley converted the next kick for East Bengal to take his side to the season's fourth title at the modestly attended Salt Lake stadium.
The summit clash of the tournament's 108th edition rolled into the tie-breaker after the two sides failed to break the goalless deadlock in the scheduled 90 minutes and the half an hour of extra-time.
In the penalty shoot-out, Chandan Das, Kulothungon, Koustov Ghosh, Douglas De Silva and Shashthi Duley found the mark for the winners. Kasif Jamal, Rajesh Mitai, Noel Wilson and Yusif Yakubu successfully converted for Churchill, who failed to break their final hurdle jinx, having to remain satisifed with yet another runners-up trophy.
Roque Barreto shot off-target for Churchill and Ghanaian, Suley Musah was frustrated by the Goa outfit's goalkeeper Edward Ansah.
East Bengal thus continued their golden run this season, having already annexed the Independence Cup in Naogaon, the Durand Cup in Delhi and the local league title, and also avenged the loss to the same team in the group league stage of the tournament.
The match began on a high note as both sides gave an attacking and fast display, and made deft use of the flanks, as the ball constantly travelled from one end to the other.
However, the proceedings slowed down a bit after the initial 25 minutes, with the players looking tired.
The second half, in contrast, was a tale of mispasses and incohesiveness. East Bengal had a slight edge in ball possession and the number of attacks, though Churchill, the first ever Goa side to reach the Shield final, fought every inch of the turf.
Churchill's makeshift defender Noel Wilson, who played as sweeper, put up a superb show, denying the East Bengal forwards much leeway in the penetrative zone.
On the other hand, Musah was the livewire of the local side, as he not only defended well, but also played a pivotal role in building up the East Bengal moves.
The Ghanaian began as a stopper but was pushed upfront by coach Subhas Bhowmick in the latter part of the match to bolster the upfront.
But Musah, apart from missing the penalty, was also guilty of squandering the easiest chance of the day despite having Ansah at his mercy in the second session. The Ghanian only managed to shoot the ball into Ansah's body from handshaking distance, much to the dismay of the East Bengal fans.
