Kerala FC did a FC Kochin after 22 years.

Under the glare of the Salt Lake Stadium, in front of 44,000 fans, Kerala FC defeated Mohun Bagan 2-1 to win the Durand Cup on Saturday. Marcus Joseph scored once in each half (44th and 51st), while Salva Chamorro (64th) pulled one back.

The last time Bagan had met a team from Kerala in the Durand Cup was against FC Kochin in 1997. FC Kochin, with magical IM Vijayan in their ranks, had won 3-1 at the Ambedkar Stadium then.

In Kerala, like Bengal, football is a different ball game. Chennai City, Real Kashmir FC or a team from NorthEast do not have to carry the burden of expectations. But Kerala FC are always under the scanner of the Malayali supporters.

Even a minor blip gets magnified in the social media. In Indian football, they are probably the only team other than Mohun Bagan and East Bengal who just cannot discount the fans.

That’s the reason why this time they have been quite serious about making a mark in Indian football. Durand Cup triumph — that too an all-win campaign — shows they are on the right track. Beating two Calcutta teams in their own den in the knock-out rounds is no mean task. It’s a great achievement and coach Fernando Santiago and his boys deserve all the credit.

They way they ran Bagan ragged drove home that point. Marcus, in particular, literally toyed with the Bagan defence. He was particularly harsh on Ashutosh Mehta, the Bagan right back, and at times it looked hilarious. Zipping past Mehta or making Surabuddin Malik look silly, Marcus was at his best.

In the second half, he could have got a hat-trick. In front of an open goal, he tried to do something eye-catching and made a mess of the chance.

If Marcus was extraordinary, Henry Kisekka played the perfect foil. He intelligently made space for Marcus and that kept the brittle Bagan defence on the tenterhooks. In the 25th minute, Kerala FC got a chance to draw first blood. A teasing Marcus delivery from the left, Kisekka and Mohammed Rashid could not deal with it.

Luckily for Bagan, goalkeeper Debjit Majumder gathered the ball before Kerala FC could inflict any damage. Then Marcus curled one in and Debjit once again came to his team’s rescue fisting the ball out of danger.

In the second half also Kerala FC had their chances. A Marcus low shot skimmed past the far post; Kisekka missed a golden opportunity to put his name on the scoresheet.

Bagan coach Kibu Vicuna gave semi-final hero Suhair VP a start, a decision which backfired. The midfield did not have any spine though Joseba Beitia tried hard to pull the strings. As the match progressed, Kerala FC tightened the noose around Bagan.

It was only after Bagan were down and out, trailing 0-2, that Vicuna brought in Alexander Jesuraj in place of Surabuddin. That, along with Fran Gonzalez’s introduction, gave a new lease of life to the attack.

Deep into the second half, Bagan had appealed for a penalty which was non-existent.

An angry Fran Morante, who was earlier substituted, hurled abuses at one of the assistant referees and was rightly shown the red card. Before that, Kerala FC also had a man sent off. Justin George got red for a double yellow.

Talking about the goals, the first one came after Kisekka was brought down by Debjit inside the box and referee Ajit Meetei pointed to the dreaded spot. Marcus made no mistake in making it 1-0. The second one came six minutes into the second half.

Naocha Singh slipped one for Marcus. Acres of land in front, Marcus ran and ran. And then smartly finished it past Debjit.

“I want to win the I-League now,” Marcus, who won the Golden Boot for scoring 11 goals, said later. The Trinidad and Tobago player also took home Golden Ball Award, while teammate Ubaid CK got the Golden Gloves.

Bagan made it 2-1 in the 64th. Beitia’s low free-kick and FC Kerala goalkeeper Ubaid could not hold on to Chamorro’s lunging header at the near post.

Deep into the injury-time, Bagan got a chance to equalise. But Chamorro’s header from close sailed over. He could not believe he missed that opportunity. Soon Meetei blew the final whistle.

Bagan’s wait for their first Durand Cup since 2000 continues.