Calcutta: Reigning champions Mahindra United shot out Churchill Brothers to make the final in the IFA Shield at the Barasat stadium on Wednesday.

Locked 1-1 in the regulation time, the match moved into the extra time but the stalemate prevailed. In the end, it was Mohammed Rafi who took the Mumbai outfit to the final having converted his spot-kick in the 6-4 victory.

Churchill Brothers’ Govin Mojrangtnem was the odd-man-out missing his chance from the spot, his strike hitting the post, as the I-League runners-up bowed out of the second oldest football meet in India.

For Mahindra, all of their five strikers (N.P. Pradeep, Yusif Yakubu, Manjit Singh, Harpreet Singh and Rafi) converted their chances. Mboyo Iyomi, Thangjam Singh and Khan Thang Paite were the Churchill scorers in the shootout.

The match however belonged to Manjit and Steven Dias, especially the former who was adjudged the Man of the Match.

The first-half saw both teams playing a calculated game, though Churchill Brothers had a few more chances than their rivals. Mboyo Iyomi was a touch unlucky, while the opponents were primarily defence-minded in the first 45 minutes.

In a sharp contrast to the sedate, cagey first-half, the changeover saw both teams throwing caution to the winds. Thangjam Singh, who was substituted for Fabio Cortez in the 60th minute, added steam to the attack. Thangjam surged ahead into the Mahindra box and set up an excellent chance, only to see Reisangmi Vashum slip in the melee.

With the second-half going neck-and-neck and pressure mounting on both the teams, Mboyo put Churchill Brothers into the lead in the 69th minute. His freekick from the 20 yards was too much to ask for Mahindra United goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury.

Down 0-1, the defending champions however grew in strength. Less than a minute after conceding the goal, Manjit brought in the equaliser. The impressive Dias set it up for Manjit from the right. Manjit did not do anything silly as he headed it across Vinay Singh.

Yakubu missed a sitter in extra-time, his shot ricocheting off the bar.

TEAMS

Mahindra United: Subhasish Roy Chowdhury, N.P. Pradeep, Sushanth Matthew (Harpreet Singh 119), Yusif Yakubu, Mohammed Rafi, Manjit Singh, Ravanan Dharmaraj (Sushil Singh 85), Bhola Prasad (Sukhwinder Singh 63), Steven Dias, Bello Rasaq, Douhousey Pierre.

Churchill Brothers: Vinay Singh, Fabio Cortez (Thangjam Singh 60), Govin Mojrangtnem, Mboyo Iyomi, Reisangmi Vashum, Zenith Genius Masangva, Chandam Singh, Raju D. (Khan Thang Paite 71), Robert Lalthlamuana, Gouramangi Moirangthem, Kalu N. Ogba.

Referee: Mohammed Kamil.

MoM: Manjit Singh.