July 26 2003: East Bengal’s historic ASEAN Cup triumph

Reaching the final was an achievement in itself and Bhowmick kept things simple by telling his players to enjoy the occasion and not get burdened by it. Clearly that message helped as East Bengal played above themselves against a team that was miles ahead of them technically.

Nigerian striker Mike Okoro opened the scoring in the first half and the celebrations that followed was reminiscent of the one famously done by Brazilian great Bebeto in the 1994 World Cup.

Bhaichung Bhutia was the top scorer of the tournamet

Bhaichung doubled the lead in the second period with a clinical finish. It was the star striker’s eighth strike of the tournament and more than enough to win him the golden boot. Panai Kongprapun pulled one back for BEC Tero but any hope of a comeback was ended by the left-footed Alvito, who incredibly scored a beauty with his right!

Bhowmick’s tactical genius was evident throughout the competition and another example was seen in the final also as his decision to employ Sasti Duley to man mark BEC Tero and Thailand’s best player at the time Therdsak Chaiman paid off with complete success.

It was a triumph for both East Bengal and India with even the club’s Ghanaian captain Suley Musah posing with an Indian flag after the match. The significance of the triumph was further highlighted by the presence of club owner Vijay Mallya, who has hardly attended any games since then but was a regular in that tournament.

There were plenty of Indian flags at the stands of the Gelora Bung Karno International Main Stadium in Jakarta, also the scene of India’s last Asian Games gold in football in 1962, with few passionate fans even making the trip from Kolkata to cheer their favourite club.

The whole squad received a hero’s welcome in the City of Joy with more than 10,000 greeting them at the airport. Such an occasion is unlikely to be repeated for an Indian football team in the near future (or ever again).

Alvito D’Cunha (in the middle) scored the best goal of the final and is still with the club

“The reception we got after returning to Kolkata was unforgettable,” Alvito recalled. “It was the greatest moment of my career and acted as an inspiration for clubs and players throughout India,” Sandip added.

Subhash Bhowmick dared to dream the impossible of seeing an Indian club win an international tournament on foreign soil and achieved it against so many odds.

He stills dreams of similar success but may not be given that chance again. However this is not the day to regret but celebrate the tenth anniversary of this incredible feat. Stand up for Subhash Bhowmick’s class of 2003 at East Bengal.

Happy ASEAN!