Devdas hero in Bengal fairytale

Twice in two matches,Bengal found unlikely heroes to spare them the blushes.

Twice in two matches,Bengal found unlikely heroes to spare them the blushes. After striker Robin Singhs injury-time equaliser saved the day in the semi-final against Goa,Monday was the time for Denson Devadas to get his adopted team out of trouble. Punjab went ahead,courtesy a goalkeeping error by Abhra Mondal,gifting Balwant Singh a free header by the half-hour mark. Devadas,essentially a defensive midfielder,led the surge with two goals,as Bengal ended their 11-year wait to lift the Santosh Trophy.

Devadas,who was initially groomed by TC Chattuni in Kerala,made it this far after Alokesh Kundu and Nabab Bhattacharya spotted his talent and brought him to Chirag United. Devadas scored the equaliser in the fag end of the first half,when he rose to direct a sharp header off a Snehashis Chakraborty corner. His other goal,this time the winner,was a scorching left-footer from 25 yards,helping Bengal finished off Punjab 2-1 at Yuba Bharati Krirangan to annex the title for the 30th time.

His home state Kerala never considered him good enough for a Santosh Trophy berth but after todays success I dont think he has any regrets about playing for Bengal, Nabab said.

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Bengal dominated from the start as their opponents were happy to clear their lines. But Punjab went ahead against the run of play in the 31st minute as Singh headed home a Rahul Kumar cross from the right. Mondal missed the flight of the ball and ended up in no mans land allowing Singh a free header at the net.

With last matchs hero Robin Singh unable to shake off the defenders,Bengals coach Sabbir Ali brought on Souvik Chakraborty for Tariff Ahmed in the 36th minute.

One-sided affair

The second half was a one-sided affair. With Snehashis making incisive runs down the left flank and Devadas,Jayanta Sen and Dhanarajan controlling the midfield,Bengal came close to scoring several times. Harpreet Singh saved a Dhanarajan header off the line in the 73rd minute,but five minutes later,Punjab goalie Paramjit Singh had no answer to Devadass strike.

While enjoying the spotlight on him,the man of the match credited the team for the title. This is one of the most memorable days of my career. For the first time I have tasted success on such a big stage and I want to savour this moment. The credit goes to the whole team and coach Sabbir Ali. It was not easy to play five matches in eight days but our coach kept us motivated, the 26-year-old added.

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Ali now is looking at the bigger picture. Bengals supremacy was under the scanner and the boys rose to the challenge. Bengal players are ignored in the national team. Hopefully,things will change after this win, he said.

Meanwhile,accolades have started to flow in early for the winners. The West Bengal government and Chirag United announced cash bonanza of Rs 5 lakh each,while the Indian Football Association has announced a holiday package for the team.

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