The 1951 IFA Shield Final was the 59th final of the IFA Shield, the second oldest football competition in India, and was contested between Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan on 11 September 1951 first which ended in a draw and then a replay on 18 September 1951 at the East Bengal–Mohun Bagan Ground in Kolkata.

1951 IFA Shield Final
Event1951 IFA Shield
East Bengal won after a replay
Final
Date11 September 1951
VenueEast Bengal–Mohun Bagan Ground, Kolkata, West Bengal
RefereeMajor F. Upfold
Attendance16,000 (estd.)
Replay
Date18 September 1951
VenueEast Bengal–Mohun Bagan Ground, Kolkata, West Bengal
RefereeMajor F. Upfold
Attendance16,000 (estd.)
1950
1952 →

East Bengal won the final 2–0 to claim their 5th IFA Shield title. P. B. A. Saleh scored both the goals in the replay final as East Bengal lifted their fifth IFA Shield title.[1]

Route to the final

edit
East Bengal Round Mohun Bagan
Opponent Result Round Opponent Result
Customs 3–1 Second Round Benetola 0–0; 1–0
24 Parganas 3–1 Third Round East Punjab 2–0
Maharashtra XI 3–1 Quarter–Final Cuttack XI 0–0; 1–0
Rajasthan 3–0 Semi–Final Mohammedan Sporting 4–0

Match

edit

Summary

edit

The IFA Shield final began at the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan Ground in Kolkata on 11 September 1951 in front of a packed crowd as Kolkata giants East Bengal and Mohun Bagan faced each other in a Kolkata Derby. East Bengal, the two-time defending champions, reached their eighth final after defeating Rajasthan 3–0 in the semi-final, having won the title four times in 1943, 1945, 1949, and 1950. Mohun Bagan also made their eighth appearance in the final after they defeated another Kolkata giant Mohammedan Sporting 4–0 in the semi-final, having won it thrice previously in 1911, 1947, and 1948.[1]

East Bengal started as the favorites as the two-time defending champions and with a star-studded forward line consisting of the famous Pancha Pandavas. However, Mohun Bagan got the best chance of the match in the tenth minute of the game when Runu Guha Thakurta played Babu open on goal but the latter missed his chance from five yards. Rabi Das too missed another chance in the twelfth minute after failing to control the ball. East Bengal managed to make a few moves but was denied by Mohun Bagan custodian C. Banerjee. Both teams failed to break the deadlock and the game ended in a 0–0 draw.[2]

Details

edit
Mohun Bagan0–0East Bengal
Attendance: 16,000 (est.)
Referee: Major F. Upfold
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mohun Bagan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
East Bengal
GK   Chanchal Banerjee
FB   Purnendu Barua
FB   Sailen Manna (c)
HB   Ratan Sen
HB   Talimeren Ao
HB   Robi Dey
FW   Babu
FW   Runu Guha Thakurta
FW   Rabi Das
FW   Sattar Singh
FW   A. Dasgupta
GK   Manilal Ghatak
FB   Byomkesh Bose (c)
FB   Ansari
HB   G. R. Gokul
HB   Chandan Singh
HB   S. Ray
FW   Pansanttom Venkatesh
FW   M. Apparao
FW   K. P. Dhanraj
FW   Ahmed Khan
FW   P. B. A. Saleh

Match rules

  • 50 minutes.
  • Replay if scores still level.
  • No Substitutes.

Replay

edit

Summary

edit

The replay final began at the East Bengal-Mohun Bagan Ground in Kolkata on 18 September 1951 after the first game ended in a 0–0 stalemate.

East Bengal made a fast start and scored early just in the second minute after P. B. A. Saleh latched onto a pass from K. P. Dhanraj and found the net with a powerful strike to make it 1–0. Mohun Bagan tried to make a comeback in the match but was denied by the East Bengal defense. East Bengal doubled their lead in the nineteenth minute of the match after Saleh once again found himself at the end of a cross from Pansanttom Venkatesh and finished from close range to make it 2–0 before halftime. In the second half, Mohun Bagan created a few chances but East Bengal custodian Manilal Ghatak was able to keep a clean sheet as East Bengal emerged victorious to lift their fifth IFA Shield title, and thus become the first Indian team to lift the title three consecutive times. British regimental teams Gordon Highlanders (1908–10), Calcutta (1922–24), and Sherwood Foresters (1926–28) had achieved this feat previously.[1][3][4][5]

Details

edit
Mohun Bagan0–2East Bengal
Saleh   2', 19'
Attendance: 16,000 (est.)
Referee: Major F. Upfold
 
 
 
 
 
 
Mohun Bagan
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
East Bengal
GK   Chanchal Banerjee
FB   Purnendu Barua
FB   Sailen Manna (c)
HB   Ratan Sen
HB   Talimeren Ao
HB   Robi Dey
FW   Babu
FW   Runu Guha Thakurta
FW   Rabi Das
FW   Sattar Singh
FW   A. Dasgupta
GK   Manilal Ghatak
FB   Byomkesh Bose (c)
FB   Ansari
HB   G. R. Gokul
HB   Chandan Singh
HB   S. Ray
FW   Pansanttom Venkatesh
FW   M. Apparao
FW   K. P. Dhanraj
FW   Ahmed Khan
FW   P. B. A. Saleh

Match rules

  • 50 minutes.
  • Joint winners if both finals ends in a draw.
  • No Substitutes.

References

edit
  1. ^ a b c Chaudhuri, Arunava (10 October 2022). "India - List of IFA Shield Finals". Rec.Sport.Soccer Statistics Foundation. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  2. ^ "শিল্ড ফাইনালের খেলা অমীমাংসিত" [Shield Final remains undecided]. Jugantor (in Bengali). 12 September 1951.
  3. ^ "ইস্ট বেঙ্গলের উপর্যুপরি তিনবার শিল্ড জয়ের গৌরব অর্জন" [East Bengal also achieved the glory of winning the Shield three times]. Jugantor (in Bengali). 19 September 1950.
  4. ^ Sen, Debayan (1 August 2020). "A century of excellence: East Bengal's greatest hits". ESPN. Retrieved 18 November 2022.
  5. ^ Banerjee, Ritabrata (27 March 2020). "Who were the 'Pancha Pandavas' of East Bengal and what impact did they have in Indian football?". Goal. Archived from the original on 10 April 2020. Retrieved 20 November 2022.
edit