Federation Cup 2014 Semi-finals Review: Mohun Bagan fails to prevent all-Goan final

For the first time in Federation Cup history, the final will be an all-Goan affair as Churchill Brothers defeated Kolkata’s Mohun Bagan while Sporting Clube edged past Dempo in a Goan derby. Neither Churchill nor Sporting have ever won India’s FA Cup so after Saturday’s final there will be a new winner. Sportskeeda reviews Thursday’s two semi-finals.

Churchill Brothers 2-1 Mohun Bagan

Photo Credit: Churchill Brothers Media

Being rock-bottom in the I-League, no one gave Churchill Brothers much of a chance to even make it past the group stage of the Federation Cup but four straight wins have seen them progress to the final of this competition for the first time ever. They came into this semi-final as underdogs but caught Mohun Bagan off guard with two early goals and then held on to their advantage with an all-Indian defence despite Odafa Okolie’s first half strike. The Mariners were aiming to prevent an all-Goan final and at the same time give themselves a chance of ending their trophy drought but defensive mistakes and some poor individual performances saw them fall short once again. Hence for the first time since 2005 there won’t be any Kolkata club in the Federation Cup final.

Mohun Bagan’s attacking trio of Odafa, Katsumi Yusa and Christopher Chizoba had been in great form in the group stage but they were completely overshadowed by Churchill’s Abedhamid Shabana, Balwant Singh and Anthony Wolfe. Balwant in particular was outstanding in the opening 15 minutes as he headed home the opener from a Saran Singh corner and then won a penalty which was successfully converted by 2006 World Cupper Wolfe. From Mohun Bagan’s point of view both goals could have been avoided as Balwant wasn’t picked up from the corner and then Aibor Khongjee needlessly brought down the Churchill striker in the box. But that can’t take away any credit from Balwant who produced a top performance in a big game to stake another claim for a place in the national team.

Karim Bencherifa’s side were shocked by Churchill’s start but soon regrouped and pulled one back through Odafa. Mohun Bagan ended the first half strongly and with the Goan club not having any foreign defenders, the green-and-maroon brigade looked odds on to score again in the second half. But Yusa and Odafa were off colour possibly due to fatigue while Chizoba also didn’t cause too much trouble to the Churchill defence besides an effort that hit the woodwork. Churchill Brothers defended resolutely but Mohun Bagan never really enjoyed a spell of pressure in the second half and could have lost by a bigger margin as the I-League champions wasted a number of opportunities from counter attacks.

The big difference in this game was supposed to be the fact that Mohun Bagan had four foreigners compared to Churchill’s two but Wolfe and Shabana completely outperformed the Kolkata club’s foreign contingent. What should frustrate Mohun Bagan fans more is that their captain Odafa once again showed that he isn’t a team player as instead of taking responsibility he was seen shouting at young players like Pritam Kotal. Bencherifa has plenty of positives to take from this tournament but the Federation Cup’s most successful club missed a great opportunity to qualify for the AFC Cup. On the other hand, Churchill are a win away from lifting their first ever Federation Cup title but irrespective of their result in the final, this brilliant Cup run should give them confidence for their battle for survival in the I-League.

Sporting Clube 3-2 (after extra time) Dempo

Photo Credit: AIFF Media

Of the four semi-finalists only Sporting Clube have been performing consistently in the I-League so it isn’t really a big surprise that they have made it to the final. But there was always a question mark on whether their young squad can cope with the pressure of big knockout games as they don’t have too many winners in the team. However Oscar Bruzon’s side showed great character and diligence to get the better of local rivals Dempo in a marathon semi-final as they triumphed 3-2 after extra time. Dempo must also be given credit for equalising twice but in the end a mistake from one of their inexperienced players proved to be costly as their wait for a first Federation Cup title since 2004 continues.

Sporting Clube have been far better than Dempo in the I-League but had a slight disadvantage in this fixture as Spanish centre-back Gonzalo was ruled out with a suspension while compatriot Arturo Garcia was only fit enough to make the bench. Dempo on the other hand were at full strength with Australian Tolgay Ozbey back available again as well. Arthur Papas’ side dominated possession in the early stages but the lacked the cutting edge on the final third. Ahead of the match Sporstkeeda had pointed out that the battle between Dempo’s Simon Colosimo and Sporting Clube’s Boima Karpeh would be crucial and at the half-hour mark it was Karpeh who outmuscled Colosimo and scored past Laxmikant Kattimani. Dempo had a few chances in the remainder of the first half but Sporting Clube did enough to go into interval leading.

Bruzon’s team started the second period strongly as the energy and pace of their young side was just too much for Dempo but Sporting Clube were wasteful as they couldn’t find the second with Rowlin Borges missing a golden opportunity from three yards. 1-0 was never going to be a safe lead and Dempo were level through Tolgay after being played through by Beto. The Aussie profited from Sporting keeper Ravi Kumar’s mistake as the 20-year-old allowed the ball to go through his legs. At that stage Dempo looked like the only side that could go on and win but Afghanistan skipper Zohib Islam Amiri handled the ball inside the box from a corner. Substitute Garcia successfully converted from the spot and with only seven minutes plus added time remaining, Dempo’s campaign looked to be over. But Amiri made up for his blunder by making it 2-2 just four minutes later.

In extra time Dempo were dominant but their finishing was poor with Tolgay and Beto looking tired. Papas had made some attacking changes in a bid to equalise during the 90 minutes and thus was playing striker Holicharan Narzary at left back. The former Arrows forward never looked comfortable while defending and just before the end of first half extra time he brought down Pratesh Shirodkar with a rash challenge inside the box. For the second time in the game Garica converted a penalty as Sporting Clube led for the third time. Dempo went all out in the closing stages and some of their players even got frustrated by Sporting’s timewasting but eventually they couldn’t take the game to penalties. Bruzon has already guided Sporting to Goa Pro League success this season but winning the Federation Cup would be the greatest achievement in the club’s history and also make their inexperience squad believe that they can even win the I-League.

Best Performers

Photo Credit: Churchill Brothers Media

Indian: Balwant Singh (Churchill Brothers) – The 27-year-old has been instrumental in the Goan club’s run to the final as besides three goals he has caused problems to opposition defences. Balwant almost single-handedly destroyed Mohun Bagan in the first 15 minutes and was unlucky not to get on the scoresheet in the second half also.

Foreigner: Ogba Kalu (Sporting Clube) – The former Dempo and Churchill Brothers medio has been an attacking force for Sporting Clube in the I-League but in this match he took extra responsibility and gave great protection to the defence. Kalu often dropped deep and acted as the third centre-back to win the aerial duels as Sporting held on for a famous victory.