It's champagne time for McDowell Mohun Bagan. As Salgaocar lost to FC Kochin 0-2 in Thrissur today, the green-and-maroon brigade from the eastern metropolis automatically became the National Football League (NFL) champions for the 1999-2000 season.
With 44 points from 20 outings, Bagan now have reached a position, which cannot be attained by any other team. Their three closest competitors --Salgaocar, Churchill Brothers and Mahindras -- can at best aspire for the runners-up spot.
So one-sided the league is now that Bagan can now afford to treat their match against East Bengal a friendly one, something unthinkable in Indian football.
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What really made Bagan such a formidable side that brought down a premature curtain on the NFL 10 days and two full rounds in advance? Why a team, struggling to find their rhythm at the start, suddenly became too hot to handle that it won five last matches in a row?
To say that the presence of foreign footballers made Bagan into an unstoppable side would be like settling for a too diluted a solution. The three foreign strikers of Bagan-- Uzbek Igor Shkvirin, Brazilian Jose Baretto and Nigerian Stephen --did play crucial roles in Bagan's second triumph in the NFL, but to say it all would be unfair on the other players as well as coach Subroto Bhattacharya.
The foreigners certainly made the road to the title smoother, but the contribution of at least half a dozen local footballers cannot be denied.
The foreign 'legs' would not have been shining so brightly without the players like goalkeeper Sandeey Nandy, stopper Hussain Mustafi, wing-back Amitava Chandra, central defender Debjit Ghosh, midfielders Basudev Mondal, RP Singh and James Singh on their sides. They were the most consistent lot in the current NFL and had a big hand in each of the 13 victories so far. At least four of them --Sandeep Nandy, Debjit Ghosh, RP Singh and James Singh -can be hot contenders for the 'Best Player of the NFL' award.
For a team, which looked completely rudderless in the initial stages, the transformation was not easy. Credit should go to Subroto Bhattacharya, who not only instilled confidence into the boys, but also managed to lift their physical condition to a level where the team looked as fresh as ever even in the 20th-round match against SBT. He was also successful in building up a good bench-strength, essential for a marathon league like this.
Bhattacharya was never flashy, but proved to be a shrewd and practical coach. The club had given him three good foreign strikers. He worked hard to organise a better defence and an imaginative midfield. He created the right atmosphere for Shkvirin, Baretto and Stephen. Success came automatically.
Things have come to a full circle for Bagan. They became the first Indian team in the last century to win a major title. The beginning of this century is also theirs. Many teams like Bangalore Muslims, Hyderabad City Police, Gorkha Brigade, Mafatlal or Leaders Club have come and gone in between after entertaining the soccer fans for brief periods. Bagan remains the true champions of Indian football.
PTI adds: In Thrissur FC Kochin put paid to the aspirations of defending champions Salgaocar defeating them 2-0.
The Kochin team, who had also won their away match against the Goans by a solitary goal, dominated the proceedings and took the lead through star striker Liberian Isaac Tondo in the 18th minute. Medio Noel Wilson sealed the fate of the match by converting a penalty kick in the 82nd minute, enabling his team to garner the three points.
Kochin could have won by a much bigger margin had their strikers been on target. Medio Mahesh Gawli played his heart out and was outstanding with his interception and intelligent passes.
Mumbai: Goan outfit Dempo held Mahindra and Mahindra, Mumbai to a goalless draw in a dull and drab encounter. Dempo, who are at the bottom of the points table and are in danger of being relegated, have ten points from 20 matches. The jeepmen, with 33 points from 21 matches, are in the fourth position.