2024 Indian Super Cup final
Football cup tournament final for AIFF
Football match
 Kalinga Stadium hosted the match | |||||||
| Event | 2024 Super Cup | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| |||||||
| After Extra Time | |||||||
| Date | 28 January 2024 | ||||||
| Venue | Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar | ||||||
| Player of the Match | Saúl Crespo (East Bengal)[1] | ||||||
| Referee | Venkatesh R. | ||||||
| Attendance | 10,121 | ||||||
| Weather | Warm and humid | ||||||
← 2023 2025 → | |||||||
The 2024 Super Cup final was the final match of the 2024 Super Cup, the fourth edition of the Super Cup. It was played at Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on 28 January 2024 between East Bengal and Odisha.
East Bengal won the match 3–2 for their ninth national cup title and the first major title in 12 years.[2]
Road to the final
The Super Cup is a new annual Indian knock-out football competition that is open to all twelve teams in the Indian Super League and top four teams from the I-League and is run by the All India Football Federation.
The Indian Super League teams automatically qualified for the competition. The top three teams of the I-League qualified automatically while the fourth spot was decided via a play-off match between Inter Kashi and Rajasthan United.
East Bengal
Before the 2024 Indian Super Cup, East Bengal had reached the final of the Federation Cup and Super Cup, India's top domestic cup competitions, 17 times and won the tournament eight times. East Bengal last reached the final in 2018 but came runner-up to Bengaluru. East Bengal was grouped in Group A, alongside Indian Super League sides – Mohun Bagan SG, Hyderabad and an I-League side Sreenidhi Deccan.[3] East Bengal began their Super Cup campaign on 9 January 2024 and faced Hyderabad in the opening fixture of the tournament and managed a 3–2 victory with Cleiton Silva scoring a brace and Saúl Crespo scoring the third.[4] On 14 January, East Bengal faced Sreenidhi Deccan and won 2–1 with goals from Hijazi Maher and Javier Siverio.[5] On 19 January, East Bengal faced their arch-rivals Mohun Bagan Super Giants in the Kolkata Derby fixture in a virtual quarter-final tie that would decide the group champions and who would progress into the semi-finals and East Bengal won 3–1 with captain Cleiton Silva scoring a brace while Nandhakumar Sekar scoring the other, as East Bengal won all three matches in the group to qualify for the semi-final.[6] On 24 January, East Bengal faced Group B winners Jamshedpur in the semi-finals and won 2–0 with goals from Hijazi Maher and Javier Siverio as they entered the final for the second time, after 2018.[7]
Odisha
Odisha started the campaign as the defending champions of the Super Cup having won it the previous year in 2023. They were grouped in Group D, alongside Indian Super League sides – Goa, Bengaluru and I-League side Inter Kashi. Odisha started their campaign on 12 January 2024 against Indian Super League side Bengaluru and won 1–1 courtesy of a solitary strike from Ahmed Jahouh.[8] On 17 January, Odisha faced Inter Kashi and won 3–0 with goals from Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Diego Mauricio, and Isak Vanlalruatfela.[9] On 22 January, Odisha faced Goa in the last match of the group stage and won 3–2 with goals from Ahmed Jahou and Mourtada Fall scoring a brace.[10] In the semi-final, Odisha faced Mumbai City on 25 January and won 1–1 courtesy of a penalty goal by Diego Mauricio as Odisha entered their second consecutive final in the Super Cup.[11]
Pre-match
Venue
On 18 December 2023, it was announced by the AIFF that the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar, Odisha would host the entire Super Cup.[12]
This would be the third time that Kalinga Stadium would be hosting the Super Cup after 2018 and 2019.[12]
Analysis
Coming into this match, both sides looked at it as a chance to qualify for the 2024–25 AFC Champions League 2 preliminary stage. Odisha were the defending champions of the tournament, this time playing at their home ground Kalinga Stadium, hoping to defend the title. Their coach Sergio Lobera had already won the trophy in 2019 with Goa. He stated before the match, "We have a big game in front of us. We have the responsibility to keep the trophy here. We are excited about this opportunity and the most important thing is to enjoy this final. It's a big game for everyone - the players, coaches, staff and supporters,".[13]
East Bengal were looking to break their twelve-year wait for a major domestic trophy having last won the 2012 Federation Cup at Siliguri defeating Dempo in the final. East Bengal had already reached the 2023 Durand Cup final in the season and finished runner-up. Coach Carles Cuadrat said before the match, "We are feeling very good. We have been fighting for results for a long time. It's very important for us to be in another final. We couldn't win the first one (Durand Cup), so we'll try our best to get the result in this one,".[13]
Match
Summary
The defending champions Odisha started at a frantic pace at their home ground Kalinga Stadium with Diego Mauricio coming close twice to take the lead and Odisha eventually scored the first goal of the match in the thirty-ninth minute when Diego Mauricio pounced on a loose ball inside the box to finish it and make it 1–0 before half time. East Bengal made two changes as they came out in the second half with Naorem Mahesh Singh and Lalchungnunga coming on for Javier Siverio and Mandar Rao Dessai respectively and they made an instant impact as Mahesh got passed two Odisha players to play a perfect through ball for Nandhakumar Sekar as the later dribbled past the Odisha goalkeeper to equalize the game in the fifty-first minute. Just ten minutes later, East Bengal was awarded a penalty when Mourtada Fall tripped Borja Herrera inside the box and Saúl Crespo made it 2–1 from the spot. Just seven minutes later, Odisha found themselves a man down as Mourtada Fall received a second yellow for an elbow on Borja Herrera. East Bengal had a few more chances to finish the game but Odisha earned themselves a penalty at the very last second of the match in the injury time and Ahmed Jahouh equalized for Odisha to take the game into extra time. In the first half of the extra time, Souvik Chakrabarti came close to getting the lead back for East Bengal as his close effort struck the bar but minutes later Souvik received his second yellow for time wasting and both teams went down to ten men. In the hundred-eleventh minute, East Bengal scored the winner as captain Cleiton Silva pounced on Narender Gahlot to snatch the ball inside the box and finish it to make it 3–2 as East Bengal managed to hold onto the lead and become the champions of the 2024 Indian Super Cup.[14]
Details
| East Bengal | 3–2 (a.e.t.) | Odisha |
|---|---|---|
| Report Report |
         East Bengal |    Odisha |
| Hero of the Match: Assistant referees: | Match rules
|
Post match
East Bengal captain Cleiton Silva ended the tournament as the highest goalscorer of the campaign while defender Hijazi Maher was awarded the 'Best Defender of the Tournament' award. Odisha goalkeeper Lalthuammawia Ralte was awarded the 'Best Goalkeeper of the Tournament', Ahmed Jahouh as the 'Best Midfielder of the Tournament', while Isak Vanlalruatfela was awarded as the 'Player of the Tournament'.[14]
The champion team was welcomed by the ever longing East Bengal fans at the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport, Kolkata by an estimated 5,000+ crowd with pyros, smokes, and red and gold colors.[16][17] The team was escorted from the airport to the club premises where thousands more joined in to celebrate the triumph.[18]
East Bengal also earned a spot in the 2024–25 AFC Champions League 2 Preliminary stage and thus returned to the continental stage after a gap of nine years since their last participation in the 2015 AFC Cup.[19]
References
- ^ "the-aiff.com/match-center/cms/27789". AIFF. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ Rawat, Akhil (28 January 2024). "12 years of pall of gloom lifted: East Bengal win a spine-chiller to take home Kalinga Super Cup". AIFF Media Team. Bhubaneswar: AIFF. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024.
- ^ "Group stage draw for Kalinga Super Cup 2023-24 conducted". 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 18 December 2023.
- ^ "East Bengal grind out hard-fought win to kickstart Kalinga Super Cup campaign". I-League. 9 January 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 11 January 2023.
- ^ "Advantage East Bengal in Group A as they corner 2-1 win over Sreenidi Deccan". I-League. 14 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "East Bengal's super effort shows Mohun Bagan Super Giant the Kalinga Super Cup door". I-League. 19 January 2023. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 20 January 2023.
- ^ "East Bengal net once in each half to reach title round". I-League. 24 January 2023. Archived from the original on 24 January 2024. Retrieved 25 January 2023.
- ^ "Odisha FC start title defence with a victory over Bengaluru FC". I-League. 12 January 2024. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Odisha FC make short work of Inter Kashi to pocket full points". I-League. 17 January 2024. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Mourtada Fall rises high to plot FC Goa's fall". I-League. 22 January 2024. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Diego Mauricio's spot kick gives Odisha FC the final spot". I-League. 25 January 2024. Archived from the original on 29 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Group stage draw for Kalinga Super Cup 2023-24 conducted". the-aiff.com. 18 December 2023. Archived from the original on 11 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ a b "Kalinga war: Odisha FC, East Bengal at sword's points to seize the Super Cup tiara". the-aiff.com. 27 January 2024. Archived from the original on 3 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ a b "12 years of pall of gloom lifted: East Bengal win a spine-chiller to take home Kalinga Super Cup". I-League. 28 January 2024. Archived from the original on 28 January 2024. Retrieved 29 January 2024.
- ^ "Kalinga Super Cup 2024 Final". 28 January 2024. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
- ^ Guha, Sayantan (30 January 2024). ""A once in a lifetime experience" - Euphoria surrounding East Bengal FC's Super Cup victory captures Kolkata". Sportskeeda. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Shah, Viransh (29 January 2024). "East Bengal Fans Throng Kolkata Airport To Welcome Team After Super Cup Triumph". My Khel. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ hattacharya, Nilesh (30 January 2024). "Red, gold and a sea of emotions grip City of Joy as East Bengal returns with Super Cup". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 5 February 2024. Retrieved 5 February 2024.
- ^ Sadhu, Rahul (29 January 2023). "East Bengal Back in Asia: How EBFC Have Finally Turned The Tables Over Mohun Bagan Before Kolkata Derby". Times Now. Archived from the original on 6 February 2024. Retrieved 6 February 2024.
External links
- Super Cup Official Website
