The Kalinga Super Cup triumph sparked wild celebrations among a gathering of around 3000 die-hard East Bengal fans, who had travelled from Kolkata to see their team end a long wait of 12 years and lift the major national level title.
The accomplishment became even bigger as the red-and-gold brigade whisked away the challenge of the home favourite Odisha FC at the latter’s ground, the Kalinga Stadium.
The last time the 103-year-old club experienced that level of success was in 2012 when it won the Federation Cup (at the Kanchenjunga Stadium in Siliguri).
Cleiton Silva, the Brazilian striker spending his second season with East Bengal, justifiably found the winning goal in extra-time to end the hopes of Odisha FC, which had remained unbeaten in the 15 matches before that.
AS IT HAPPENED: East Bengal vs Odisha FC, Kalinga Super Cup Final Highlights
“The team has developed very good dynamics which is visible in the consistency of its performance. The club has been fighting for results for a long time.
“The players were very positive this time and that got them to the crown,” the East Bengal head coach Carles Cuadrat summed up the reason behind his team’s victory.
What made East Bengal’s triumph special was that it achieved it with a 100 per cent success record, winning all its matches (five in total) since the group league stage.
Cuadrat, who took charge of the side early in August last year, had previously helped Bengaluru FC win the Super Cup (as assistant coach) in 2018 at the same venue. Incidentally, it was East Bengal that had ended up on the losing side that time.
“I have been quite lucky in my career in India as I have been part of a lot of finals. This experience is important as it helps you to prepare the players mentally and emotionally for the pressure situation that happens in a final,” said Cuadrat, giving out the success mantra.
“This means my kind of work is giving results,” the seasoned gaffer said about his achievement.
“It is great to win a match against Sergio Lobera who is a coach possessing great tactical insight. The match will stand out as a special match in Indian football with so many tactical contests in that,” Cuadrat added.
RELATED: East Bengal beats Odisha FC to end 12-year wait for National title
The tactical duel on the ground saw an intense box-to-box action taking the spectators to the edge of their seats. Finally, it was the clever substitutions introduced by Cuadrat in the second half that turned the match in East Bengal’s favour.
“It was a game of fresh legs so I started with senior players like Borja (Herrera) and Mandar (Rao Desai) and then introduced (Naorem) Mahesh and Chungunga (Indian national team players) after half-time.
“It was also a game of being physically well as Odisha FC is a team which is very good with the ball. We had to win the physical part of the action and I am happy that we could do that,” Cuadrat explained the changes that helped East Bengal grab the initiative in the second half.
The introduction of Mahesh Singh Naorem (right) in the second half had an instant impact on East Bengal, whose through ball led to his side’s equaliser by Nandhakumar Sekar. | Photo Credit: Shibu Preman / Super Cup / AIFF
Cuadrat said that the team could make the turnaround after the initial setback as the players could regain a positive mentality.
“We lost the three games (in the earlier rounds of ISL) because we are not doing the right things. We did a lot of video analysis and also had a lot of discussions with the players. It was not a technical issue but more of a mentality problem,” Cuadrat said.
“One good result can change the dynamics of the team and likewise one setback can hurt your soul. And that is what was happening with the team. We were able to regain the dynamics after the setback and that helped us get our position back.
Now the players are showing a great mentality on the pitch and are playing in a much more positive manner. So after more than six months of work, we can say that East Bengal is growing as a team,” Cuadrat spoke about the important transformation happening in the team.
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