Top five attacking duos in I-League history

Depending on signings at other clubs, East Bengal could boast the deadliest strike-force in the I-League next season as newly-signed South Sudan international striker James Moga will be paired alongside Edeh Chidi, who finished as the club’s highest scorer last season.

The two African strikers scored a combined total of 34 I-League goals last campaign but they have to be consistent as a pair next season in order to be compared with previous great attacking partnerships.

Sportskeeda lists the top five attacking duos in I-League history.

Note: Timeline only covering I-League era since 2007

5. Tolgay Ozbey & Penn Orji (East Bengal: 2010-2012)

Penn Orji (left) and Tolgay Ozbey

Defensive organisation was the hallmark of the East Bengal side under Trevor James Morgan, but there was plenty of creative spark also. And it was provided by the combination of Tolgay Ozbey and Penn Orji in the Englishman’s first two seasons. Penn would operate just behind the two strikers with Tolgay in the withdrawn role and the two were responsible for the majority of East Bengal’s goals in the first two years of Morgan’s reign. Tolgay was the club’s top scorer in all competitions in both seasons and much of it was down to the work of Penn, who would keep finding the Australian in the right areas and thus allow Tolgay to run at defenders before scoring or creating chances for others.

The Australian would often return the favour and set up Penn also. In fact, the majority of the very few goals that Penn scored in those two years were created by Tolgay. Right from their very first tournament together, the 2010 Federation Cup, the duo was instrumental in the Kolkata’s club revival under Morgan. Tolgay’s time at Mohun Bagan turned out to be disastrous and Penn too had an ordinary third season at East Bengal, but the two players will be reunited at Mohammedan Sporting. So will they be able to recreate the same magic? Only time will answer that.

4. Yusif Yakubu & Ryuji Sueoka (Salgaocar: 2010-11)

Yusif Yakubu (in pic) shared a great partnership with Ryuji Sueoka

They only played one season together at Salgaocar but what a campaign it turned out to be. In the 2009-10 season, the two faced off in the Big Kolkata Derby as Ghanaian Yusif Yakubu was at East Bengal and Japanese Ryuji Sueoka joined Mohun Bagan in the second half of the season. Both the Kolkata giants struggled in the I-League but Yakubu and Sueoka didn’t do much wrong. Yet, they were not offered new deals by the two arch-rivals and instead were signed by Salgaocar coach Karim Bencherifa in 2010-11.

The Moroccan had taken over Salgaocar in March 2010 when they were fighting for survival but by the second half of the next campaign, they were challenging for the title. And the two standout performers were Yakubu and Sueoka. The Japanese would operate in the hole just behind lone striker Yakubu in a 4-4-1-1 system and that brought the best out of the two as they had a combined goals tally of 35, with Salgaocar scoring 58 in total. Yakubu, who by then was already a legend in Indian club football, once again showed his class despite being at the age of 34, while Sueoka proved that Mohun Bagan made a huge mistake by not giving him a new deal as he won the I-League in his first full season in India.

3. Odafa Okolie & Felix Chimaokwu (Churchill Brothers 2008-2010)

Odafa Okolie (holding the flag) and to his left Felix Chimaokwu (hand on head) celebrate Churchill Brothers’ first league triumph

While the previous two pairings relied on some tactical tweaks from their coach, there was nothing complicated about this Nigerian strike pairing as they tormented opposition defences with their strength and were deadly in front of goal. Odafa, who finished top scorer for four straight seasons between 2006 and 2010, of course would make the headlines as his strike rate was by far the best in the I-League, but Felix too was quite clinical as he had a healthy return in the two seasons that he spent with Churchill Brothers. Many forwards in the past have struggled to combine with goal machine Odafa but Felix complemented his compatriot flawlessly.

The two Nigerian forwards were directly involved in 75 percent of Churchill Brothers’ goals in the 2008-09 I-League, which they eventually won to lift the club’s maiden Indian league title. There were games which Odafa single-handedly won for Churchill but in tight matches he benefited from the support of his compatriot Felix, who acted as the perfect foil for his more prolific strike partner. Churchill Brothers were runners-up in the 2009-10 season but finished with the second best attack with Odafa and Felix once again contributing more than half of their team’s goals. They also reached the AFC Cup round of 16, with both strikers making key contributions against some of the best West Asian clubs.

2. Bhaichung Bhutia & Jose Ramirez Barreto (Mohun Bagan 2007-2009)

The two ‘Bs’: Bhaichung (left) and Barreto

Bhaichung Bhutia had joined Mohun Bagan back in 2002 following his spell in England with Bury FC but unfortunately injury problems didn’t allow him much of a chance to play alongside club legend Jose Barreto and make the green-and-maroon brigade successful. That pair was reunited again in 2006 and they revived the glory days at Mohun Bagan despite both being close to the age of 30. After winning the Federation Cup in 2006, the two star strikers lit up the inaugural season of the I-League with some stellar performances. Bhaichung, being the ultimate goal-poacher, was the perfect partner for Barreto, who enjoyed playing as the second striker.

In the 2007-08 I-League, Mohun Bagan managed just 22 goals in 18 matches, but Bhaichung and Barreto scored 15 of those. The two stars also gave inspiring performances in the 2007 AFC Cup, where Mohun Bagan narrowly missed out on qualification to the quarters. Their best showing though came earlier in 2007 when Mohun Bagan thrashed Dempo 4-0 in the Super Cup. Bhaichung scored a hattrick but Barreto played his part in four goals. The following season, under Karim Bencherifa, Mohun Bagan once again won the Federation Cup and finished runners-up in the I-League with the two ‘Bs’ in superb form as once again they bagged more than half of their team’s overall tally. Just imagine how good this pairing would have been if they had played together at their peak.

1. Ranti Martins & Beto (Dempo: 2007-2011)

Best-ever pairing in the I-League: Ranti Martins (left) and Beto

The timeline here only mentions four years as the Nigerian Ranti Martins and Brazilian Beto only played four seasons together in the I-League but their actual association at Dempo was for six years, a period in which they won almost everything in Indian football but, more importantly, also took the Goan club to newer heights in the continent. In fact, at one stage this combination, which was described recently by Beto as ‘magical’, was up there with the very best strike-forces of the continent as they took Dempo to the semi-finals of the AFC Cup in 2008.

Beto would usually operate just behind Ranti in a 4-4-1-1 and got the best out of the Nigerian, making him one of the best foreign strikers in Indian football. There were periods when Dempo had another striker besides the Nigerian, forcing Beto to drop in midfield but this pairing was at its best when Beto was playing in the hole behind his mate Ranti. In their final campaign together, the duo had a combined return of 47 goals, a statistic unlikely to be matched in the near future. The two won four league titles together at Dempo and nearly took the Goan club to the Asian Champions League also. Their interplay was a joy to watch even for neutrals and they remain the benchmark for any attacking duo that aspires to be the best in Indian football.