IFA Shield: Churchill Bros retain title!

Defending champions Churchill Brothers SC beat Mohun Bagan AC 2-1 in the final of the 115th IFA Shield at the floodlit Saltlake Stadium in Kolkata to destroy Mohun Bagan's hopes of regaining the Shield title a hundred years after the club had lifted their first historic IFA Shield title in July 1911.

While the green-and-maroon will remain title-less this season, the title might give the Goans the right push to fight for the I-League title under new Croatian coach Drago Mamic. The title earns Churchill Brothers SC Rs. 1 Million (10 lakhs) while Mohun Bagan get Rs. 700,000 (7 lakhs) as runners-up.

Mohun Bagan where the better of the two sides in the first session though they were missing Jose Ramirez Barreto and Subair Muritala Ali upfront still Chidi Edeh gave the Goan defence enough of work. It was Chidi after wasting an earlier chance who gave Mohun Bagan a 37th minute lead and they took the lead into the break.

But things changed after the break as Churchill Brothers were now in the game and only in the 49th minute they would equalise through a header from talismanic striker Odafe Onyeka Okolie, Mohun Bagan alleged Odafe to be offside but referee A. Rowan stood by his decision. The killer blow would come in the 65th minute off a beautiful long range effort from 'Man of the Match' Charan Rai. Mohun Bagan would not recover from this and would go on to lose again like they did in the last final in September 2009.


In the third place playoff which was held before the final Southern Samity trashed Shillong Lajong FC 4-0 in a match-up of second division sides. Edmilson score three of Southern Samity's goals with Francis Xavier adding a fourth.


MATCH STATS

Churchill Brothers SC 2-1 (0-1) Mohun Bagan AC - Goals: 0-1 Chidi Edeh (37'), 1-1 Odafe Onyeka Okolie (49'), 2-1 Charan Rai (65')

Man of the Match: Charan Rai (Churchill Brothers SC)

Churchill Brothers SC
Vinay Singh; Yumnam Raju Mangang (Khanthang Paite), Dharmaraj Ravanan, Gouramangi Moirangthem Singh, Robert Lalthalma; Charan Rai, Lenny Rodrigues, M.P. Sakeer (Chitrasen Chandam Singh), Israil Gurung (T. Bineesh Balan); Odafe Onyeka Okolie, Boima Karpeh

Mohun Bagan AC
Sangram Mukherjee; Kingshuk Debnath, Anwar, Deepak Kumar Mondal, Nallappan Mohanraj; Gouranga Datta (Satish Kumar), Rakesh Masih, Jayanta Sen, Snehashis Chakroborty; Ashim Biswas, Chidi Edeh

Referee
A. Rowan (Services)