It was yet another historic encounter between two amazing teams. In the end, Atletico de Kolkata beat Kerala Blasters on penalties and emerged as the champions of the 2016 Indian Super League.
Here are the biggest moments from the cracking encounter in Kochi:
#1 Helder Postiga wasteful in the first half
Playing a final in front of 60,000 vociferous away supporters, you’d have reckoned that Atletico de Kolkata would have started the game tentatively. But the reality was Molina’s men took the game to Kerala and created a host of chances in the first half. The men in red and white were confident on the ball and didn’t find it hard to open up the Blaster’s defensive line.
But Kolkata’s go to man, Postiga was extremely rusty in the opening 30 minutes. The Portuguese had three glorious chances to give his side the lead. On all three occasions, he fluffed his shots wide of the mark.
The best among those was the third one as Doutie found Postiga with a delightful cut back from the right flank. The striker had space and time to pick his spot. Instead, he hit it first time and his weak shot rolled past the keeper. For a player who has played two World Cups and three European Cups, he ought to have buried at least one of those three opportunities.
#2 Kerala and Atletico produce twins
“We didn’t have time to work on our set pieces,” Atletico’s coach, Jose Molina wasn’t lying when he addressed his team’s Achilles heel prior to the second leg against Mumbai. In their first leg against the men in blue, they conceded both their goals from dead ball situations. Tonight was no different.
Kerala opened the scoring courtesy a well-taken corner. Mehtab Hossain whipped in a delightful ball and Mohammed Rafi timed his run to perfection. He rose highest, as his header zipped past keeper, Debjit who had no chance of stopping that.
But minutes later, the Blasters received a taste of their own medicine. It was Kolkata’s turn to score from a corner. Sameehg Doutie’s floater found Henrique Sereno inside the box. The centre back shrugged off Sandesh Jhingan and wisely headed the ball into the left corner. At the end of forty-five minutes, both sides were locked at 1-1.
#3 Steve Coppell’s vintage pose
For a man who has managed more than 1000 football games, Steve rarely lets you know what’s on his mind. It was no different tonight. Quite often, he looked like a spiritual guru who used his telepathic skills to get his thoughts across to his players on the field. Rarely has the Kerala Blasters coach come out into his technical area. He lets his assistant shout out orders instead.
Coppell can usually be found, leaning across the substitutes’ bench, deeply pensive, with his hand on his chin. 79 days before today, his side began the league on the worst possible note. Winless after the first three games, they found themselves at the bottom of the league table.
Ever since, the former Manchester City manager has hardly put a foot wrong. Accepting his side’s limitations, he’s made Kerala play a brand of football, unique to the league – threatening on the counter and rock solid at the back.
Coppell will be remembered for his awkward pre-match interviews with the female presenters and his trademark pose on the sidelines.
#4 Kolkata hold their nerve at the colosseum in dramatic shoot out
What a season for Jose Molina and his men. Having lost just two games all season, it all came down to the dreaded penalty shoot-out. Iain Hume missed the first penalty after German buried his. Kervens Belfort and Sameehg Doutie then took turns to score under pressure. It was soon tied at 3-3.
Up stepped one of the league’s best defenders and Kerala’s warrior, Hengbart. He went straight down the middle but Debjit did well to block it with his trailing leg. Jewel Raja was entrusted with the final kick of the match. He placed his well-taken penalty to the right of Graham Stack and silenced the rapturous crowd in the process.
All credit to the side from West Bengal. They’ve by far been the most consistent side in this season’s Indian Super League. Molina had little time to get into the groove and the Spaniard put together not only a great 11 but a great 23. Against Mumbai, he made a whopping 9 changes. Tonight, he brought in six new players. His management truly exemplified why the beautiful game is a team sport and the importance of depth in a football squad.
#5 Beautiful Blasters always punched above their weight
For a side that consistently attracts 60,000 spectators at their home games, Kerala were rarely dominating at Kochi. Till the group stages, they were joint with Pune for scoring the least number of goals (13). But Coppell instilled passion and hunger in his team. The result? They consistently punched above their weight and knocked out teams, who on paper, looked far better than them.
Having played a gruelling match against Delhi just a couple of days back, Kerala were once again put to the test tonight. Credit to the fitness coach at the Blasters, even in the 119th minute, the players ran the distance and closed down Kolkata successfully. Penalty shoot outs are always a lottery and Atletico bought the right ticket.
No one expected Kerala to play the finals of the 2016 Indian Super League. They did and put on a wonderful show for the entire country. Their efforts were evidence of how much the Blasters really cared. They say no one remembers the losing finalists but there’s no way in hell Kerala Blasters will be forgotten anytime soon.
