New Delhi: Odafe Onyeka Okolie proved again that he is a man for all seasons for Churchill Brothers. He struck three goals in a row to tame Mohun Bagan as the Goan club came from behind to claim the Durand Cup for the second time with a 3-1 victory in new Delhi on Tuesday evening.
A handsome crowd at the Ambedkar Stadium had to wait for nearly 120 minutes, after the regulation time ended goalless, for Churchill’s emphatic victory in their third consecutive Durand final.
Odafe was once again the nemesis for 16-time champions Mohun Bagan who were looking to avenge their IFA shield loss two weeks back and a record 17th win in the final. Odafe scored thrice in the space of 10 minutes (100th, 105th, 110th) in the second half of the extra time.
It all seemed over for Churchill in the 95th minute after Mohun Bagan took the lead with Nigerian Edeh Chidi heading in from Subhojit Majumdar’s free-kick.
But Churchill Brothers showed enough character to come back into the match as Odafe hurricane swept over Mohun Bagan, who were playing their record 27th Durand Cup final.
Both sides played out a tensed 90 minutes and came close to score on a few occasions. But it seemed that luck was not on either side.
Mohun Bagan started well with their attacking pair of Brazilian Jose Ramires Barreto and Chidi and kept the pressure on Churchill defenders in the first half. But as the game progressed, Churchill gained control with both Odafe and Reisangmi Vashum making regular inroads.
Odafe was heavily marked by Mohun Bagan defenders but the Nigerian was relentless in efforts to break through the defence. The first chance came in the 45th minute when Odafe chipped but his shot hit the upright. A few seconds later, Odafe again cut past Mohan Raj and Rakesh Masih but his powerful right-footer was saved by goalkeeper Sangram Mukherjee.
The second half continued in the same vein but neither found the net as the match sailed into the extra time.
It took just five minutes for Mohun Bagan to open their account with Chidi’s header.
But Churchill were determined to win and didn’t want to go home empty handed for the second successive year. With both Vashum and Charan Rai doing the leg-work in the midfield, Odafe was always on the lookout for the equaliser.
An opportunistic Odafe sneaked in and headed a rebound as the Churchill found the equaliser in the 105th minute.
In the next 10 minutes, Odafe was on a rampage and when he slotted in Jason Vales cross in the 105th minute, Churchill had surged ahead. The Nigerian again broke through, this time five minutes from the final whistle and it was all but over for Mohun Bagan.
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