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Venue: Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Kochi
Kickoff: Saturday, January 25 2013, 19:00 IST (LIVE on Ten Action)
Surprise finalists
Churchill Brothers are a family club and can’t match the history and fanbase of the big Kolkata teams. But they have been one of the most successful teams in the I-League era (since 2007), winning almost every domestic trophy and even featuring in the AFC Cup twice. However the one piece of silverware that is missing in the Churchill household is the Federation Cup and prior to 2014 they never even reached the final of this competition. The current group of players may not be the best in the club’s 26-year-old history but they are one win away from fulfilling one major dream of club owner Churchill Alemao and his family. Victory will also see them qualify for the AFC Cup for the third straight edition, something which only one Indian clubs has done in the past – East Bengal. But more importantly it would enhance the feel-good-factor that this tournament has already brought to the squad after the troubles of their dismal I-League campaign.
The club management was praised for their success on the transfer market last season as some high quality foreigners were signed both in the summer and winter windows and those arrivals were instrumental in their I-League triumph last May. But this term they have been heavily criticised for frequently changing their foreigners with as many as eight outstation players already used. However the I-League holders seem to have finally found some quality in Egyptian Abdelhamid Shabana and Anthony Wolfe from Trinidad & Tobago. Churchill have incredibly won all four of their matches in this tournament despite having just two foreigners so huge credit must be given to their Indian contingent with striker Balwant Singh, midfielder Lenny Rodrigues and defender Dharamaraj Ravanan being the standout performers. But the unsung hero has been head coach Mariano Dias whose contribution to the team is often overshadowed by the club’s legendary technical director Subhash Bhowmick.
With Bhowmick not being with the team due to a family emergency, Dias has taken responsibility and brought the best out of a squad that has been struggling to get results in the I-League. Churchill Brothers have certainly benefited from the underdogs tag in this tournament as they have caught almost each of their opponents off guard with early goals. Each win has strengthened their self-belief as many players like Lalit Thapa, Sanjay Balmuchu and Saran Singh have been exceeding expectations. Mohun Bagan were the favourites in the semi-final but the two-time I-League winners fared better as a team with each player contributing. The absence of a foreign defender has been felt at times as they are yet to keep a clean sheet in this tournament but that has been compensated by sheer team ethic and a new-found resilience. Churchill Brothers have every reason to believe that they can lift the 35th Federation Cup trophy on Saturday evening.
Slight favourites
Photo Credit: AIFF Media
Like Churchill Brothers, Sporting Clube also don’t have much history or fanbase on their side as the club was only formed in 1999 and the only major trophy they have won is the local league. But unlike their final opponents, Sporting Clube have finished runners-up in this tournament in successive editions (2005 and 2006) and on both occasions they suffered heart-breaking defeats. One was to a last minute goal in extra time and another was in a penalty shootout. Veteran wide midfielder Joseph Pereira and defender Matthew Gonsalves are the only survivors from those final appearances but the class of 2014 is a completely different team with a completely different philosophy. There is a big Spanish influence as the head coach Oscar Bruzon and two of the key foreigners hail from the country that are the current world champions. As a result the team plays an entertaining brand of passing football but crucially the core of the side comprises a number of young exciting Indian talents, with many of them coming through the club’s youth system.
The side truly has the perfect blend of youth and experience as Nigerian Ogba Kalu and Liberian-Australian Boima Karpeh are two foreigners with a track record of doing well in Indian football in the past. But it’s the energy and pace of the Sporting’s youngsters that has been winning the hearts of many neutrals. Goalkeeper Ravi Kumar and defenders Keenan Almeida and Joyner Laurenco are progressing with every game while midfielders Rowlin Borges, Beevan D’Mello and Pratesh Shirodkar have made many illustrious opponents look ordinary. The pick of the lot in this tournament though has been Victorino Fernandes, who has been a joy to watch with his pace and dribbles giving nightmares to defenders and the India international has also produced an end-product, netting three goals. Unlike Churchill, their run to the final isn’t a big surprise because Bruzon’s boys have been performing consistently in the I-League and have every reason to believe that they can win the domestic league too.
Sporting had a difficult start to the tournament as they were 4-0 down after 66 minutes in their opener against Bengaluru FC and despite an improved showing in the final quarter of the game, they lost 5-3. But successive wins over East Bengal and Rangdajied United, and a favour from the Kolkata club, saw them progress to the semis. In the group stage, they exhibited their technical qualities but in the semi-final against Dempo the Flaming Oranje showed that they can win ugly as well much like they have done on numerous occasions in the I-League. The big question mark was whether their young squad can handle the pressure of a big knockout game and Sporting came up with a positive answer as they showed great character and diligence to beat Dempo in a marathon semi. The fact that they are placed 11 spots higher than Churchill in the I-League should make them slight favourites but Bruzon would surely be telling their players to not give important to such tags and play their usual way which could both land the first big national level major trophy in the club’s history and bring joy to the neutrals.
Form Guide
Churchill Brothers: WWWWW
The Red Machines are enjoying their best form of the season and crucially one of their two wins in the I-League was a thrilling 3-2 success over Sporting Clube.
Sporting Clube: WLWWW
The Goa Pro League champions have won seven of their last eight matches in all competitions but managed only victory in their last five local derbies against Churchill.
Team News
Churchill Brothers
Dias is likely to retain almost the same eleven that stunned Mohun Bagan in the semis with Ravanan once again set to lead an all-Indian back four. The only change could be on the left flank where teenager Alesh Sawant could make way for Jaison Vales. The big advantage for Churchill could be that they finished their semi-final in normal time while opponents Sporting had to go through 120 minutes.
Possible XI: Lalit Thapa; Denzil Franco, Dharamaraj Ravanan, Sanjay Balmuchu, Raju Yumnam; Saran Singh, Lenny Rodrigues, Abdelhamid Shabana, Jaison Vales; Balwant Singh, Anthony Wolfe
Sporting Clube
The return of Spanish centre-back Gonzalo could see Bruzon make a change to his defence with young Laurenco expected to be on the bench. There could be an alteration in midfield also as Spaniard Garcia had a big impact off the bench with a couple of successful penalty conversions under pressure in the semi-final. As a result either Beevan or even Victorino could be among the substitutes but the approach and formation should remain the same.
Possible XI: Ravi Kumar; Keenan Almeida, Gonzalo, Matthew Gonsalves, Rovan Pereira; Pratesh Shirodkar, Ogba Kalu, Rowlin Borges, Arturo Garcia, Victorino Fernandes/Beevan D’Mello; Boima Karpeh
Key Men
Churchill Brothers – Abedlhamid Shabana
Shabana (no.14)Photo Credit: Churchill Brothers Media
The Egyptian is a contender for player of the tournament as he has contributed with both goals and assists. Shabana has even helped out the team defensively by tracking back and another strong performance from him could be decisive in this summit clash.
Sporting Clube – Boima Karpeh
The Liberian-Australian isn’t as highly rated as the likes of Odafa, Ranti, Chidi but Boima’s physical presence upfront provides a great balance to Sporting Clube’s attack. The 29-year-old would be determined to add to his tally of three goals in the final.
