Mohun Bagan coach Karim Bencharifa and the players with the trophy at the Salt Lake Stadium on Sunday. Picture by Gautam Bose.

Calcutta: Winners beat their opponents, champions beat opponents and the circumstances. Mohun Bagan proved this on Sunday at the Salt Lake Stadium, beating Dempo Sports Club 1-0 to lift the Federation Cup for the 13th time.

Many feared the absence of Bhaichung Bhutia and the fatigue caused by a cruel schedule would put paid to Bagan’s title hopes but after the kick off, they looked the more energetic lot and the most energetic was their senior-most player, Jose Ramirez Barreto, who scored the all-important goal in the second half. Dempo’s energy, if any, was used in arguing with the referee over every other decision.

Marcos Pereira started controlling the midfield right from the word go. That had Roberto Mendes Silva, the Dempo playmaker, fuming. Ranty Martins and Joaquim Abranches did not get enough balls to create chances and Dempo were mentally trailing. They did not have a plan B.

Perhaps they were overconfident. After all, they were facing a side playing their fifth match in nine days, the last of which took more than 120 minutes to finish. Bagan got their first corner when the match was not even a minute old and saying that the Dempo players overreacted would be an understatement to describe their anger over the decision. Ranty was booked for misbehaviour.

Barreto got into the act for the first time in the eighth minute when he sent a through for Ishfaq Ahmed inside the Dempo box. Had Ishfaq collected the ball properly, Bagan would have been in the lead. Seven minutes later, P.C. Lalawmpuiya received a gem of a ball from Barreto’s back header inside the box. Lalawmpuiya was unmarked and had only the Dempo custodian to beat but he failed to connect.

Then Barreto had his first chance. After Deepak Mondal released Ishfaq down the left, the young man centred for the Brazilian. Barreto headed it to the ground and Dempo goalie V.P. Sathish Kumar dived to his right to make the save.

Dempo finally created an opening in the 32nd minute. Ranty got the ball on the edge of the Bagan box and managed to fool Deepak with his turn but Sangram Mukherjee came out of the goal to thwart him and show again what a wall he is.

Dempo did not look any better after the breather and it seemed it was just a matter of time before Bagan scored. They did so in the 65th minute when Lalkamal Bhowmick sent a curling corner in from the right. Sathish misjudged the flight of the ball and ended up palming it to Habibur Rehman, who headed down for Barreto to volley it in.

Ranty had said on the eve of the final that this is his last season in India and that he wants to win this title desperately. His frustration kept mounting as he realised time was running out for him, and 10 minutes from time he made a dangerous and needless foul on Marcos and was sent off for it. Beto, who never found breathing space because of Marcos and Ishfaq, was booked for arguing over Ranty’s red card. The Nigerian proved to be a bad loser, gesturing at a cameraman while leaving the field.

Dempo’s agony must have been doubled by Bagan fans’ extraordinary celebrations and coach Armando Colaco decided to give the post-match media conference a miss.

TEAMS

Mohun Bagan: Sangram Mukherjee, Habibur Rehman Mondal, N. Mohanraj, Deepak Mondal, S. Malsawmtluanga (S. James Singh 90+3), Marcos Pereira, Rakesh Masih, Ishfaq Ahmed, Lalkamal Bhowmick, Jose Ramirez Barreto, P.C. Lalawmpuiya (L. James Singh 89).

Dempo: V.P. Sathish Kumar, Mahesh Gawli, Creson Antao, Valeriano Rebelo, Climax Lawrence, Roberto Mendes Silva, Anthony Pereira, Clifford Miranda, Dominic Noronha, Joaquim Abranches, Ranty Martins.

Referee: T. Pradeep Kumar.

mohun BAGAN’s Titles

• 1978: Joint winners with EB 0-0; 0-0
• 1980: Joint winners with EB 1-1
• 1981: Bt Md. Sp. 2-0
• 1982: Bt Mafatlal Mills 1-0
• 1986: Bt EB 5-4 (tie-breaker)
• 1987: Bt Salgaocar 2-0
• 1992: Bt EB 2-0
• 1993: Bt Mahindra & Mahindra 1-0
• 1994: Bt Salgaocar 3-0 (tie-breaker)
• 1998: Bt EB 2-1
• 2001: Bt Dempo 2-0
• 2006: Bt Sporting Clube de Goa 4-2 (tie-breaker)
• 2008: Bt Dempo 1-0

COMPILED BY HARIPRASAD CHATTOPADHYAY