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In
1977, on 22nd September, due to the efforts of Dhiren Dey,
Mohun Bagan invited Cosmos Club of United
States for an exhibition match with the Club. Famous football king Edson
Arantos Jo Nasimanto - Pele came to Kokata along with many players of
international fame, like Alberto of Brazil, Jinarjio Chinaglia of Italy,
Keith, Edi, Charlie, Atken and Mike Dillon of England, Ramon Mifin of
Peru, Wernarroth and Ditomir Dimitri Jevich of Yugoslavia, Erol Yasin
from Turkey and some players of Canada and United States. The match took
place in Eden Gardens on 24th September where about 80,000
spectators gathered along with existing Chief Minister of West Bengal,
Jyoti Basu and many other ministers.
Mohun Bagan 2 - 2 New York Cosmos
Mohun Bagan's illustrious history is a veritable cornucopia of
unforgetable memories.Amidst this treasure-trove of golden moments,a
cynosure of attraction is the famous Mohun Bagan vs Cosmos match,which
featured Pele,arguably the greatest player the game has ever
produced.Mohun Bagan is the only Indian club to have the rare and
historic distinction of playing against the legendary Pele,that too on
home soil.Apart from Pele, great players like
Cinnalia,Miffin,Alberto,Roth, Keith Eddie and Tonyfield also graced the
occasion.This article takes you down the meandering lanes of history to
the year 1977 and relives the euphoria sorrounding Pele's visit to
Calcutta.
PROLOGUE
This memorable event in the history of Indian football was the result of
the vision and indomitable zeal of Mr.Dhiren Dey.it was his long
cherished dream to present Pele before the Indian spectators.Initial
attempts on his part were scuppered by the Cosmos club authorities
demand of a whooping 4 crore rupees for playing a match in
India.Determined not to give up,Mr Dey directly contacted Pele and urged
him to don his jersey on Indian soil--a land where his name spelt magic
and millions of people were crazy simply to catch a glimpse of him in
action.This emotional appeal struck an responsive chord in Pele's heart
and he took upon himself the responsibility of convincing the club
officials.After some dilly-dallying the Cosmos officials finally decided
to send their star-studded team to play against Mohun Bagan.
The Air India aircraft carrying the Cosmos football team landed at the
DumDum airport on 22nd.September,1977 at 11.15 p.m.A mamoth crowd ,the
like of which Calcutta has never seen,gathered at the airport to accord
a grand welcome to Pele.Conch shells and trumpets were blown as legions
of football lovers gathered on either side of the route through which
Pele was driven to his hotel(The Grand Hotel).A huge ocean of humanity
congrgated infront of the Grand Hotel and they went delirious with joy
as Pele alighted from his vehicle.The mass hysteria that Pele's visit
generated remains unparalleled till date in Calcutta's history.The
warmth and love that people showered on Pele moved him deeply,and he
remarked "What an amazing crowd!".
It rained heavily on the 23rd. and it was widely feared that rain might
play spoil-sport.Speculation was rife among sceptics that Pele might not
play on the soggy Eden Gardens pitch.However,a great human being that he
was Pele declared that nothing apart from an absolute meterological
calamity could prevent him from taking the field.The vibes sorrounding
his visit had carved a niche in Pele's heart and he was determined not
to let rain dampen the spirit.
THE MATCH
The 80,000 strong capacity crowd gaving a thunderous ovation as the
Cosmos and Mohun Bagan players took the field.The defeaning chant of "Pele
Pele Pele" rent the air, as the referee blew his whistle to signal the
start of the match.Fortunately the rain had held up but the ground was
still slashy.Both teams started on a cautious note with occasional
forays into the rival territory.One such move saw the Cosmos team
opening the score.Cosmos drew first blood in the 17th. minute.A
brilliant through ball from Pele split the Mohun bgan defence and an
overlapping Alberto tucked the ball into the net.However Mohun Bagan
evened the score in the very next minute.Habib initiated a brilliant
move,dribbling past a couple of Cosmos players and passed the ball to
Akbar.Akbar evaded a diving tackle from Morais and gave the ball to
Shyam Thapa whose brilliant punch found the net.The stadium erupted with
delirious joy.P.K Banerjee,the Mohun Bagan coach had deployed Goutam
Sarkar as Pele's marker.The match witnessed a mesmerizing duel between
the two.On one occasion,Pele evaded Goutam Sarkar with an impeccable
chest-trap and dribbled his way into the Mohun Bagan box.A desperate
Shivaji Banerjee jumped full strech to snatch the ball from Pele's
feet.In a rare gesture of true sportsmanship Pele jumped over the Mohun
Bagan goalie into the Mohun Bagan net keeping Shivaji's countenance
intact in the process.This noble gesture drew a warm round of applause
from the audience.In the 23rd. minute Akbar took a powerful 30 yard
stinging long-ranger.The ball ricocheted off a diving Yesin,the Cosmos
goalkeeper and landed before Habib who romped home with a powerful
strike.Mohun Bagan shot ahead 2-1 much to the joy of the home crowd.In
the dying moments of the first half Cosmos mounted pressure on the Mohun
Bagan territory and nearly scored on two occasions.First,Pele took an
enthralling 30 yard free-kick that curled viciously past the Mohun Bagan
wall and brushed against the cross-piece.The trajectory of the ball left
the audience spell-bound with amazement.On another occasion,Sivaji
Banerjee pulled off a stupendous save to deny Cannilia who took a
blinding shot at goal from close range.Thanks to Shivaji Banerjee,who
guarded the Mohun Bagan citadel like a man possessed, Mohun Bagan led by
the odd goal in three at half-time.Mohun Bagan made five substitutions
in the second half and played a more defensive game.The game did not
reach the same lofty heights that the first half witnessed.Pele took
another brilliant free-kick in the second half.He gently chipped the
ball over the Mohun Bagan wall to Cannilia who passed to Field.However
Field failed to score from close range.In the 70th. minute Mohun Bagan
conceded a penalty when a Sudhir Karmakar sliding tackle found the
referee pointing to the dreaded spot.Cannilia made it 2-2 and the match
ended at that score .The crowd walked back home replete with memories of
a historic and monumentous event in Indian football.The Mohun Bagan
players played their hearts out against a formidable opponent comprising
of legendary greats of the game and earned the kudos of one and all.The
next day the Ananda Bazar Patrika,described Goutam Sarkar as "India's
very own Beckenbaur".(Incidentally Beckenbaur was scheduled to play
against Mohun Bagan but an ankle injury in the previous game prevented
him from doing so.)
EPILOGUE
Mohun Bagan threw a banquet in the evening at Grand hotel in honour of
the Cosmos players.On behalf of Mohun Bagan Chuni Goswami presented Pele
with a glittering diamond ring.Pele praised the Mohun Bagan players
effusively and commented that the hosts could have led 4-1 at half-time
had they not bungled chances.He particularly showered praise on Goutam
Sarkar,Subrata Bhattacharyya,Pradip Chowdhury,Habib,Bidesh Bose and
Shivaji Banerjee.During the party,Pele gave an affectionate pat on
Goutam Sarkar's back and said:"You No.14 did not allow me to move".On
25th.Sptember,Pele bid adieu to Calcutta but left behind a
treasure-trove of fond memories to cherish a life-time.This match marked
the end of Pele's contract with Cosmos.It was the penultimate match of
Pele's illustrious career.He played his last farewell match at New
Jersey on 1st. October.Years later,during the 1990 World Cup Shyam
Sunder Ghosh,a reporter of The Statesman asked Pele about his memories
of the match.Pele reminisced:"I still remember Calcutta and also some
memorable occasions,particularly goalkeeper Shivaji Banerjee who dived
to save a goal on my feet which i could have scored.This incident was
the best in Eden Gardens." This match will always stand out as on of the
brightest feathers in Mohun Bagan's cap during its long and glorious
history.
Composed by Joydeep Bhattacharya - Nov 2004
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