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          East Bengal, champions again, complete metamorphosis under Cuadrat to end 12 years of pain

          Cleiton Silva celebrates scoring the winning goal of the Super Cup final...a goal that won East Bengal its first major title in 12 years. AIFF MEDIA
          • Sunaadh Sagar
          Jan 29, 2024, 05:26 AM

          Same old East Bengal.

          Ahmed Jahouh's injury-time panenka from the penalty spot seemed ever so cruel as it arced and bounced into the net to deny East Bengal their coronation. The vibrant, red and gold face paint that adorned the faces in the stands of the Kalinga, now had streaks of tears running through them.

          Twelve years they had waited, 12 years they had endured the jabs from the perennially successful maroon and green half of Kolkata. Seconds away from ending their trophy drought, their team had conspired once again to throw away their crowning glory against the 10 men of Odisha FC.

          Same old East Bengal.

          It was the same script from last September in the Durand Cup final - East Bengal were up against the 10 men of Mohun Bagan Super Giant and lost to Dimi Petratos' force of will. The nightmare was about to repeat. Except Carles Cuadrat and Cleiton Silva were done reading from the same old script. And tore it up.

          Fittingly, it was the captain with the decisive moment. Cleiton - who had looked lost in that Durand Cup final, waiting for service, waiting for his moment - underlined the metamorphoses everything within the club is undergoing and waited no more. The Brazilian made his own luck, charging at Odisha defender Narender Gahlot with the ball at his feet - the ball was won, the goal slotted in with a deft finish and a wave of East Bengal happiness descended upon him in that corner of the Kalinga stadium in the 111th minute.

          East Bengal have had plenty of Brazilians (24) who've donned the famous red-and-gold jersey, but none have written their way into the club's folklore as dramatically as Cleiton did. And yet, having single-handedly reversed the fortunes of one of India's oldest clubs, the Brazilian striker behaved in the most un-Brazilian striker of ways after the match, crediting the team's effort and even handing Souvik Chakrabarti - who bleeds red and gold and was instrumental in stopping Odisha FC with a man-marking job on Jahouh for the ages - the armband to lift the Kalinga Super Cup trophy.

          This isn't the East Bengal we've known for the last dozen years - infighting, selfish players keen to take the glory for themselves (what little of it there was), and hastily assembled squads of highly-paid mercenaries unable to form a cohesive outfit. Even Trevor Morgan, who won them the Federation Cup in 2012, couldn't reverse their fortunes when hired midway through their trophy drought.

          It took a Catalan with a reputation for un-Catalan but trophy-winning football to end East Bengal's wait for silverware. Carles Cuadrat walked into the club and immediately put his stamp on them - East Bengal becoming masters of the 1-0 win thanks to a set-piece and then shutting up shop as they reached the Durand Cup final.

          That final laid bare the mental work Cuadrat still had to overcome - the weight of the trophy drought stymying every player on the pitch. Even the Indian Super League season, where Cuadrat specialized in goalless draws before the Super Cup, revealed the process was still underway. Thus, there was every expectation that East Bengal would do the usual in the Super Cup final. Sit back, hit Odisha on the counter, and...win. This victory, however, was the most un-Cuadrat like of wins - perhaps the metamorphoses extended to the East Bengal manager as well.

          East Bengal needed more - the 1-0 script Cuadrat had perfected wasn't a guarantee anymore when facing up to the club's cobweb-laden trophy cabinet. They began like they were the side who were unbeaten in 15 games, not Odisha. Dominant with the ball, Souvik had a rash on Jahouh, and Odisha were nerfed.

          Was this as positive as Cuadrat could be? Diego Mauricio's goal in the 39th minute demanded a response. On came an attacking change in Naorem Mahesh Singh. Cuadrat then witnessed his side turn the game on its head in 17 minutes - Nandhakumar Sekar's well-worked goal and Saul Crespo's penalty arising from a situation of clever football. Incredibly, Cuadrat chose to revert to type after the 2-1 lead. Despite having a one-man advantage after Mourtada Fall's sending off - East Bengal sat deep and ceded possession. They knew how to do this, after all - closing out games with a 1-goal lead was their speciality.

          Even the weight of that trophy drought would not mess with what looked like a sure victory. And then, the disaster played out like a montage of horror. A flick from Roy Krishna, Diego Mauricio getting ahead of Prabhsukhan Gill, a penalty conceded with seconds left on the clock and Jahouh's audacious penalty to make it 2-2, the whistle blowing to signal extra-time.

          It would be enough to break anyone. And it did, the broadcast cameras capturing the tears of broken-hearted East Bengal faithful, juxtaposed against the jubilation of the home crowd at the Kalinga. Souvik earned his marching orders in extra-time, having hit the crossbar moments before. The script, twisting the knife in.

          And then redemption, from Cleiton's boot, and Cuadrat had completed the metamorphosis. It began with a change of the backroom structure within the club, and the club in turn demanded he change to overcome a 12-year hoodoo. He could win trophies a different way; East Bengal were not a team that could be mentally broken anymore.

          Some would call it the mentality of champions - because that's what they are now.

          A new East Bengal. Champions.