Gokulam Kerala FC wins 129th edition of Durand Cup (2019) defeating Mohun Bagan to win the title

On August 24, 2019 the Gokulam Kerala Football club(FC) defeated Mohun Bagan team at the finals of the 2019 Durand cup (129th edition) match held at Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. Kerala lifted the title for the second time in the 131year history of the oldest football tournament in Asia by defeating Mohun bagan team with a 2-1 score.

Key points
Gokulam Kerala FC becomes the 2nd club from Kerala to win the title after 22 years. In 1997, the first club to claim the title was FC Kochin led by I.M. Vijayan.
i. Owners of Gokulam Kerala FC: the club is owned by Gokulam Gopalan, Indian businessman, film producer and distributor from Kerala and owner of Gokulam Group of Companies.
ii. Coach and highest goal scorer:
The coach of Gokulam Kerala FC is Fernando Santiago Valera from Spain and the highest no. of goals were scored by Trinidad & Tobago star Marcus Joseph who scored an overall total of 11 goals in the tournament including 2 in the final.
Mohun Bagan coach: The coach of the Mohun Bagan team is Jose Antonio Vicuna of Spain.
iii. This is Mohun Bagan’s 29th Durand Cup final (most in the tournament’s history), which had totally won 16 times out of 29 finals,while Gokulam Kerala FC is playing in the title showdown(event) in its debut season.
Awards:

• Marcus Joseph (Gokulam Kerala FC)- Golden Boot and Golden Ball award for top goal scoring and best player category respectively.
• CK Ubaid (Gokulam Kerala FC)- Golden Glove award for outstanding performance.

About Durand cup:
♦ It is Asia’s oldest and the world’s third oldest football tournament. The Tournament is named after its founder, Sir Henry Mortimer Durand, Foreign Secretary in charge of India from 1884 to 1894.Initially it was effectively an Army cup, and largely the preserve of the British Indian Army troops in India, but over the years it was opened up to civilian teams.
♦ The 129th edition of Durand Cup (2018) takes place after a gap of 2 years.
♦ Co-Hosts-Durand Football Tournament Society (DFTS) and Osians.
♦ First edition winners- Royal Scouts Fusiliers-1888.
♦ First indian club to win Durand Cup: Mohammedan Sporting Club from Kolkatta-1940.
♦ Most successful teams: Mohun Bagan (oldest existing association football club in India) and East Bengal, winning it 16 times each.
♦ 3 trophies presented to the winning team- The President’s Cup, The Durand Cup and the Shimla Cup.