It was hardly a contest befitting the occasion; a title clash, involving two of the finest clubs, but rarely rising above mediocrity. If Churchill Brothers won the Durand Cup at the Ambedkar Stadium here on Saturday, with a 5-4 tie-break win over Prayag United, it was more out of providence than conviction.
The regulation and extra time had proved goalless. In the tie-breaker, Churchill Brothers scored through Lalrindika Ralte, M.P. Zakeer, Bineesh Balan, Matthew Kouacic and Denzil Franco.
For Prayag, Kayne Vincent, Mohammad Rafique, Belo Razaq and Maksawn Tluanga scored while Yusuf Yakubu drove wide.
Forced changes
Churchill was forced to effect changes in the playing positions in the absence of Bineesh Balan and Roberto Silva. The focus was on denying Prayag and goalkeeper Felix D'Souza kept Churchill floating with some superb saves to carry the fight into extra time.
James Singh's flag-kick provided a perfect setting for Prayag to strike early. He was measured with his effort but Denson Devadas slightly off the mark. His strong header thudded into the cross-piece. Churchill reorganised itself, launched a counter and this time Ndubusi Opara was awry with his drive. The teams now settled down to gauge each other, slowing down the pace. James was on the job again in the 19th minute. His flag-kick sailed over the collectively leaping Churchill defence and found an unmarked Arnob Mondal. His header was headed towards the goal when out of nowhere goalkeeper Felix D'Souza produced a stunning block. It was a spectacular save considering the fact that he had been blinded by the wall of defenders. Prayag dominated the first half, virtually parking itself in the Churchill territory. It should have scored twice. Josimar De Silva was well placed on both the occasions inside the box. He first failed to connect and then hit straight to a defender. Later, Yusuf Yakubu's curling shot was spectacularly kept out by an alert D'Souza under the bar.
Churchill was unable to cope with the absence of Silva, nursing an injury, and Henry Arnaud, serving suspension. The responsibility was thrust upon Opara but he lacked support upfront. Churchill was reduced to defending the entire first half.
The second half was a scrappy affair. Desperation gripped both the teams and some aimless football evoked displeasure from the stands. Quality had certainly taken a beating as Churchill lacked innovation and Prayag ran out of ideas.
The teams:
Prayag United: Abhijit Mondal (Somnath Khara), Deepak Mondal, Arnab Mondal, Bello Rasaq and Sukhen Dey; Gouranga Biswas, James Singh (Malsawm Tluanga), Denson Devadas and Mohammed Rafique; Joshimar De Silva (Kayne Vincent) and Yasif Yakubu.
Churchill Brothers: Felix D'Souza, Denzil Franco, Gourmangi Singh, Mathew Kouacic and Raju Yumnam; Steven Dias (Lalrindika Ralte), Lenny Rodrigues, Zakeer Mundampara and D. Ravanan; Ndbuisi Opara (Xavier Kumar) and Jerry Zirsanga. Referee: A. Arjunan.
