The Mumbai outfit, appearing in the final for the second time in this tourney, will feel the heat against Churchill Brothers in the final today
NEW DELHI: Goa’s Churchill Brothers have nothing to lose when they take on Mumbai’s Mahindra United in the final of the 120th Osian’s Durand Cup football tournament at the Ambedkar Stadium here Wednesday.
Churchill are making their maiden final appearance in India’s oldest football tournament and will go all out against the two-time champions to lift the title.
For Mahindra, it is their second final appearance in two months after they finished runners-up to East Bengal in September’s Federation Cup at Ludhiana.
It’s the Mumbai outfit’s turn to feel the heat Wednesday afternoon since they have failed to live up to the expectations of their fans.
Mahindra are going through a title drought and a win here would certainly boost the team’s morale ahead of the inaugural Professional League, scheduled to kick off later this month.
The Mumbai team boasts of several big names in their ranks, all members of the national squad. Yet coach Derek Pereira has been unable to collect much silverware since last season.
Mahindra’s African strikers Yusuf Yakubu and Andrews Pomeyie Mensah have cut a sorry figure so far, their inability to find the back of the net being a major headache for the side.
They won both their quarter-final and semi-final matches via the penalty shoot-out, thanks to the heroics of their number two goalkeeper Subhashish Roy Chowdhury.
But depending on one man might not be a good idea if Mahindra want to win their third Durand Cup.
For Churchill Brothers, reaching the final itself was a huge achievement. They have been a mid-table team in Indian football and will undoubtedly start as underdogs in the final.
But their prolific goal-getter Odafe Onyeka Okolie, who has netted 10 goals in their previous three outings, could just do the trick. Only, Churchill would also do well not to depend only on the efforts of one man.
