Dempo win Durand Cup

 

NEW DELHI: Dempo Sports Club of Goa defeated JCT Mills, Phagwara 1-0 in the final of the 119th Osian's Durand Cup to win their maiden title here on Monday.

 

Nigerian Ranty Martin scored the match-winner in the 74th minute to shut out the five-time champions JCT, and also win the Man of the Match award.

 

It was the sixth time JCT ended up runners-up.

 

Both teams failed to score in the half time, and 29 minutes into the second half Martin, after being fed by Brazilian Beto just outside the centre of the box, netted the winner past custodian Kalyan Choubey at the almost packed Ambedkar Stadium.

 

Dempo, playing their first Durand final, became the second Goan club, after Salgaocar, to win the world's third oldest football tournament. Two-time champions Salgaocar last won the title in 2003.

 

Champions Dempo received a prize of Rs.1 million and JCT Rs 400,000.

 

In the first half the Goan team also took few shots at the goal. But JCT goalkeeper Choubey put up a gallant effort to thwart all the attempts.

 

JCT had an easy chance to score as early as in the second minute when Praveen Kumar, after receiving a square pass from captain Edeh Chiddi, had only the goalkeeper to beat but he stumbled and the chance went begging.

 

Three minutes later, Beto fired in a low volley only to find Choubey in the way.

 

In the 18th minute, the Goan team survived a scare when Nigerian defender Mejek Bolaji tried to clear the ball but ended up lobbing it up dangerously towards his own goal. Goalkeeper Satish Kumar did well to punch the ball over the horizontal bar.

 

After JCT conceded the goal, they went on an all-out attack spearheaded by Chiddi.

 

Harish Sharma was again impressive on the left wing. He fed Chiddi with long crosses inside the box. But Dempo defender Sameer Naik foiled all the attempts and also closely marked the JCT captain.

 

With two minutes left for the regulation time to end, JCT's Baldeep Singh took a powerful long-ranger but the ball went over the horizontal bar.

 

Tajinder Singh had another opportunity to draw level but Satish brilliantly saved his 30-yard shot.

 

Overall, Dempo enjoyed 53 percent of ball possession while the Punjab team had a 47 percent share. Dempo had a total of 11 shots at the goal and JCT eight.

 

The Goan team committed just three fouls compared to seven by the Punjab team.

 

Sporting Clube de Goa striker Dudu Omagbemi Monday won the 'Golden Boot' Award for scoring maximum three goals.

 

Robikanta Singh of defending champions Army XI was declared the Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament, while Anwar (JCT Mills), Anthony Pereira (Dempo), Harmanjot Khabra (Sporting Clube-de Goa), N Guernilal (Army XI) and Gurpreet Singh (East Bengal) were picked as the five Most Promising Players of the Tournament.