The crushing tedium was broken - most frightfully, at the very end - when Prayag United's Yusuf Yakubu, till then the most sure and capable of 22 very uncertain men in the middle, fluffed his final lines with a weak penalty shot that left Churchill Brothers' Denzil Franco needing to score to ensure the title was theirs. He did.
It was the final penalty shot before the affair would plunge into the freefall of sudden death, and the prospect of inflicting further boredom on themselves and the rest at the floodlit Ambedkar Stadium made Franco all the more determined to put the ball past Prayag's substitute penalty-stopper goalkeeper Sankararan. The 124th Durand title was the bonus.
It all began with much promise, though, with the lanky, loping Prayag midfielder Denson Devadas crashing a superb header off a James Singh corner against Felix D'Souza's crosspiece. Mere minutes after kick-off, it looked as if further gifts would unfold. Instead, it quickly petered down to one of the most drab affairs in recent Durand Cup memory.
Prayag seemed intent on establishing the early domination, coming out at Churchill -- who looked content to soak it in -- by not losing their shape for most part of their rivals' sporadic attacking. Josimar, the burly Prayag centre forward with the faulty first touch, had the largest share of the missed chances -- once failing to make most of a defensive lapse by Gourmangi Singh and Co. in the Chruchill's back four, early on in the encounter.
Josimar was soon joined - at the other end - by his opposite number Opara Ndubuisi who matched the Prayag front man in profligacy sweepstakes.
Over halfway into the first session, with either side failing to make any breakthrough, Yakubu took it upon himself to drop deep and help out Devadas in the playmaking, who seemed to fade away after the initial promise. And, it was Yakubu's 39th minute swerving attempt with the outside of his foot that drew the lone gasp of the half, perhaps even the game; because what followed was stifled yawns.
A Beto-less Churchill chose to sit deep and attack on the break - if any - and along the wings. But Steven Dias and the little Mizo, Jerry Zirsanga, didn't seem to have too much in their tank and soon, the contest slipped into a stalemate.
In the second half, it worsened, though Felix, under the Churchill bar, would contest the idea. He made a couple of last-ditch saves denying Josimar and Mohammad Rafique - the saves making the attempts look very good - but that was all the rest of the game could muster.
Till Franco, the Churchill midfielder, did what was simply refusing to happen for the entire duration of playing time. He settled the issue with the final penalty shot of the day. Only, it came some 120 minutes and more minutes too late.