Winners will take it all

Kolkata: Opportunity, they say, knocks at every man’s door. So, Mohammedan Sporting — looking resigned to another failed shot at glory just five days ago — have suddenly found themselves on the cusp of history.
The I-League title run appeared to be a foregone conclusion with Gokulam Kerala FC having had one hand on the trophy, till the defending champions suffered a dramatic collapse, losing 1-3 to Sreenidi Deccan FC last Tuesday.It not only brought to an end Gokulam Kerala’s 21-match unbeaten run in the competition this term, but cut their lead to just three points going into the grand finale with challengers Mohammedan Sporting at the Salt Lake Stadium on Saturday.
Gokulam Kerala still have something extraordinary to take home: No team has won the trophy in back-to-back seasons since the National Football League was rebranded as I-League in 2007-2008. They need just a draw to seal the deal. But Mohammedan Sporting — a team which has spent most of the last three-and-half decades (since the inception of NFL) in second division of the competition — can complete their date with the most iconic moment of the club’s history if they beat the holders from Kozhikode and clinch it on a better head-to-head account.“I kept telling my players that this is football and anybody can win or lose in a minute. Now we are here with the chance to win the title and making our fans excited about it,” Mohammedan Sporting coach Andrey Chernyshov said at a press conference on Friday.
For Chernyshov’s team, momentum will not only be on their side but there will 40,000-odd spectators at the ground to spur them on to meet with their destiny.“We’ve been waiting for this match since July last year. It’s going to be a big game and the big crowd at the stands won’t make it an easy situation for Gokulam Kerala,” Chernyshov pointed out.
Who will have the final say this time around? Well, both Mohammedan Sporting and Gokulam Kerala have a lot on their plate on Saturday.