July 20 1997: When Salgaocar’s Bruno Coutinho silenced 100,000 East Bengal fans

Bruno Coutinho

After the high of thrashing Mohun Bagan 4-1 in the semi-finals of the 1997 Federation Cup, with a certain Bhaichung Bhutia creating history by scoring a hat-trick, East Bengal were overwhelming favourites to beat Salgaocar in the final and retain the trophy.

But one Goan, who was also an India international and one of the best players in the country, had other ideas. The man in question is former Indian captain and 2002 Arjuna Award winner Bruno Coutinho.

In the final, which took place 16 years ago on this date, Coutinho bagged a brace as Salgaocar upset East Bengal 2-1 after extra time. The striker’s ‘finger on the lips’ celebration after scoring the winner, which was a golden goal in extra time, remains one of the most iconic moments in Indian club football history.

The derby semi-final witnessed a record crowd of more than 130,000 but the atmosphere for the final was special too, with around 100,000 inside the Salt Lake Stadium. Everybody expected one result: an East Bengal win. But a solid team performance from Salgaocar along with the individual brilliance of Coutinho saw the Goan club lift their third Federation Cup title.

“It was one of the best moments of my career as we upset a strong East Bengal team in their own patch. But it was only possible because we had a great team and not because of one player. Throughout the tournament we were playing some good football and everything clicked perfectly in the final,” Coutinho told Sportskeeda.

Bruno Coutinho in action during the 1997 Federation Cup (Photo Credit: Salgaocar FC)

Much like the semi-final, the staggering attendance and electrifying atmosphere made the final a bigger occasion than it already was. Even beaten Mohun Bagan coach Amal Dutta played a part, according to a report by the Indian Express stating that the wily old tactician had declared Salgaocar as the favourites which eventually riled up the East Bengal fans and ensured a massive gathering.

Reputed sports journalist Dhiman Sarkar of the Hindustan Times covered the historic final and compared the atmosphere with the one he experienced during a FIFA World Cup semi-final some years later.

“Rarely has the Salt Lake stadium seen nearly one lakh people supporting one team. I think the closest was the 2008 Federation Cup final between Mohun Bagan and Dempo (which Mohun Bagan won 1-0). The atmosphere was similar to what I experienced years later in Dortmund when Germany hosted Italy in a World Cup semi-final (2006),” Sarkar told Sportskeeda.

Sarkar though refused to compare this match with the ‘Maracanazo’ (The Maracana Blow) when hosts and favourites Brazil failed to get a draw against Uruguay that would have won them the 1950 World Cup. Sarkar rightly points out that in case of Brazil’s tragic defeat, ‘the blame tends to fall unfairly on one player (Brazil goalkeeper Moacir Barbosa)’.

But in terms of expectations among fans the match was quite similar as much like the Brazilians in 1950, East Bengal supporters felt it was their team’s right to be crowned champions that July evening.

“Well, it seemed most East Bengal fans thought that the Federation Cup was theirs for the taking. Especially after the way Mohun Bagan had been dismantled and with Bhaichung Bhutia in such menacing form,” Sarkar recalled.

While one player is remembered from the 1950 final as the villain, the 1997 Federation Cup final would be best remembered for the heroics of one man. Sarkar recalls that prior to the game, leading Bengali daily Ananda Bazar Patrika had already highlighted the dangerous long rangers of Coutinho.

Coutinho was the star of the 1997 final (Photo Credit: Salgaocar FC)

“Before the game, Ananda Bazar Patrika had put out a graphic, showing areas from where Bruno’s long-rangers could be lethal. It proved to be a hit,” Sarkar said.

Coutinho also recalls East Bengal were the clear favourites, and his opener in the first half wasn’t on the script. Salgaocar then held on to their one goal advantage for a long period, with East Bengal huffing and puffing in front of goal.

It was only when center back Samuel Omollo was sent upfront as an emergency forward that East Bengal looked dangerous and equalised in the 83rd minute through Omollo.

Usually the team that equalises has the momentum for extra time but Salgaocar had looked the physically fitter side throughout. Three minutes into the additional 30, Coutinho got on the end of a Savio Medeira pass and slotted past Kenyan goalkeeper Azande Abulista to net the golden goal.

There was pin drop silence inside the stadium with Coutinho’s ‘finger on the lips’ gesture sparking the Salagocar celebrations.

“(The celebration) was a spontaneous reaction. We didn’t plan too much going into the extra time and just wanted to stick to the basics. Prior to the game everybody expected East Bengal to win so all the pressure was on them despite the heavy crowd backing that they enjoyed. We just played our game and recorded a memorable result,” the legendary striker stated.

Bhaichung’s historic hat-trick in the semi-finals took his reputation to great heights but Coutinho’s double undoubtedly made him the star of the final with the Indian Express carrying the headline ‘Coutinho’s golden touch crowns Salgaocar’.

Coutinho’s brilliance saw Salgaocar win the Federation Cup for the 3rd time (Photo Credit: Salgaocar FC)

“Bruno had already led India in the 1995 SAF Games and so was rated highly by those who followed Indian football. That people in Kolkata still talk about Bruno Coutinho shows the kind of impact he made that evening,” Sarkar said.

Coutinho was the reigning AIFF Player of the Year that time and this match-winning performance ensured him a place in Salgaocar’s history. But he still refuses to take all the credit.

“It was an important performance as I helped my team to win a trophy but no match is the most important. As a professional you have to give your best in every game and you only win if you have a quality team and that’s what we had,” said Coutinho.

The player himself might keep playing down his performance and the fact that his individual brilliance had silenced 100,00 East Bengal fans, but the 1997 Federation Cup summit clash will always be remembered as ‘Bruno Coutinho’s final’.