A thrilling finale

While the match was a test of strength for the two teams, it also exposed some of their weaknesses 8212; in particular, Churchill8217;s. The 1-1 draw again underscored the Goan8217;s overdependence Ogba Kalu Nnanna and Odafa Onyeka. Churchill have tasted success only when the duo have fired.

In fact, the Sporting Club de Goa8217;s defence marked them so well, Churchill didn8217;t look like scoring even once in the 120 minutes of the second semi-final.

On the other hand, the Mumbai giants have had a very specific gameplan: Tire out your opponents and then go for the kill.

8220;Bringing in fresh legs in the second half is a part of our strategy,8221; said coach Derrick Pereira. 8220;It also allows us to read our opponents8217;8217;gameplan with patience, apart from tiring them out.8221;

And the strategy has worked wonders for them so far. In the semi-final against JCT, they were trailing by one goal. But after the subsitutions in the second half, Mahindra made a mockery of the contest, dominating the ball possession and scoring two goals to beat the Punjab team.

The only area of concern for Mahindra is that winger Mohd Rafi and striker Edeh Chidi are nursing niggles, even though Pereira hopes they will recover in time.