Bhaichung Bhutia

Hyderabad: When was the last time India played three consecutive finals of international tournaments? No one remembers, not even the ardent followers of Indian football.

But the fact that the Indian national team had never been so consistent in the recent past does not amuse the national coach Bob Houghton. To him, it was the natural outcome of the character and the determination that the Indian footballers have displayed on the pitch for the past twelve months.

“The most important part was the desire to win,” said Houghton after India beat Myanmar 1-0 to reach the AFC Challenge Cup final. “It was not easy to play technically good football on a pitch like this. It was impossible to play constructive football out there on the muddy pitch.

India’s winning run started in September last year when they won the Nehru Cup for the first time in Delhi after beating Syria in the final. They were temporarily halted by Maldives in the SAFF Cup final but since then India have not lost any of the 10 matches they have played.

Houghton has already been described in some quarters as the dream merchant of Indian football and he knows that he has a big task in hand when India play the final on Sunday.

The winners of the Challenge Cup would automatically qualify for the final rounds of the Asian Cup in 2011. The last time India played the final rounds was in 1984 when Yugoslav coach Ciric Milovan was in charge of the Indian team.

Chhetri said he was disappointed at the half time for missing the chance in the first half. “But both the captain and the coach patted me on the back and asked me to play my natural game.

Amidst celebrations, there was a note of caution from the captain. “Our task is not yet over,” Bhutia said. “We will relax only after we win the title. That is our goal and I am sure we should be able to achieve it.”