A dejected Mohun Bagan coach Subrata Bhattacharya at Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. Picture by Sanjay Chattopadhyaya

Calcutta: The plot was hatched on Friday, during the IFA Shield semi-final between Mohun Bagan and East Bengal. The Myanmar Finance and Revenue FC coach U Myint Kyu watched the match closely with his wards. As East Bengal lost out on penalty shootout, Kyu made an important observation: that their rivals in the final were prone to take kicks through the left side.

Aung Aung Oo ' who turned out to be the Myanmar club's hero at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday by saving Eduardo Coelho's shootout attempt and helping the Myanmar team lift the first trophy on foreign soil ' admitted the coach's notes helped his cause. Mohun Bagan's Noel Wilson shot wide while the Myanmarese were spot-on in their first four attempts from the 12 yard-spot.

The team, which had left the tournament as the second-best way back in 1929 ' under the name of Rangoon Customs Club ' got past Mohun Bagan 5-3 in the shootout after a goalless regulation time and 1-1 extra-time deadlock.

'The coach told me to dive to my right during the penalty shootout. I missed some (of the attempts) closely, but was always confident I would save one. Because I noticed them trying to beat me to my right,' the Myanmar Finance and Revenue FC goalkeeper told The Telegraph on Sunday.

This was, incidentally, his first victory in a shootout battle during his five-year stint with the club. The coach, jumping like a child after the win, dedicated it to the Myanmar government and the its customs ministry in particular.

Kyu requested the organisers IFA to allow them to take the trophy back home.

' But this is our biggest achievement so far and I've requested the IFA to grant out wish ' taking back the trophy at least for a month,' he said.

Mohun Bagan coach Subrata Bhattacharya didn't attend the post-match press conference, but his assistant Shyamal Banerjee attributed the defeat to 'a momentary lapse'.

Bhattacharya later cited 'tiredness' for the defeat.