Edeh Chidi rose from the ashes, Mohun Bagan fans rejoiced. For 34 years Bagan fans bore the wounds of conceding five goals to their arch-rivals. In the 1975 IFA Shield final, East Bengal hammered Mohun Bagan 5-0. In 2009, the score’s been settled.

The fans cared a damn that East Bengal also scored three goals at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan (YBK) on Sunday. Five was the magic number and thanks to Chidi, they can now bury the ghost.

The Nigerian striker was ridiculed and vilified after wasting five sitters in Bagan’s last match against Kalighat. Today, Chidi bounced back like nobody’s business and etched his name on the record books. For the first time in the history of this great rivalry, someone has scored four goals in a match. Bhaichung Bhutia’s hat-trick against Mohun Bagan in the 1997 Federation Cup semi-final was the previous best. A new star is born in Kolkata football.

The man of the moment was calm and collected even after such a big performance. The controlled jigs after his goals and a short prayer after the match summed up his self-confidence. Perhaps he wanted to recollect his emotions in tranquility.

“I was confident of scoring goals in this match. The misses in the last match made me more determined. After I scored the first goal, I had a gut feeling that I was going to score a few more. During the break, when the scoreline was 3-3, I told my coach not to worry, because I would be scoring more. In fact, this has happened to me throughout my career. After an off day I usually come up with a good performance. I dedicate the goals to my mother and wife,” said Chidi.

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