It was double delight for I-League champions Dempo as they defeated Federation Cup champions East Bengal 1-0 to claim their maiden Super Cup title, ending the season on a winning note. Chidi Edeh gently pushed the ball into the net after the ball rebounded off East Bengal custodian Abhra Mondal in the 70th minute for the solitary goal of the encounter. It was retribution for Dempo, who had gone down 4-0 to another Kolkata outfit Mohan Bagan last year. East Bengal had no one but themselves to blame for the defeat as they failed to convert the numerous chances that came their way. The Bengal team dominated right from the start and got their chance to score as early as the eighth minute when Syed Nabi gave a cross to Marques Edmilson. The shot from the striker, though, was too wide from the far post and Dempo custodian Abhijit Mondal had no problems. The Bengal outfit continued dominating and kept the Dempo defence on the backfoot. The Kolkata giants missed three golden opportunities in the first half. In the 20th minute, Alvito D’Cunha’s powerful shot to the far post was punched away by Mondal.Dempo, known for their counter-attacks, got their first-goal scoring opportunity in the 36th minute. All Mendes Silva needed to do was to get past Bengal custodian Mondal, but he failed as defender Anupam Sarkar brought him down. East Bengal were more accurate in their passing, but luck deserted them today. Even in the second half, they failed to net the ball even once. They got three more chances, but they were either off target or blocked by Mondal. But in the end, it was Dempo who enjoyed the last laugh.
