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

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’.