Baichung Bhutia has hailed the performance of Atlético de Kolkata goalkeeper Apoula Edima Edel Bete, whose numerous saves and interceptions in the Hero Indian Super League final against Kerala Blasters FC helped them clinch the inaugural trophy. The Kolkata side won the title clash 1-0 after substitute Mohammed Rafique’s header off a Jakub Podaný corner deep into stoppage time turned out to be the matchwinner at the DY Patil Stadium on Saturday night.The trophy winning strike helped the 22-year-old Bengal forward clinch the Hero of the Match award but had it not been for Edel’s heroics, Kolkata would have been gone long before. Bhutia said that in his opinion, his man of the match would have been the 28-year-old Cameroon-born Armenian international Edel, a sentiment that millions watching the game would have agreed it. “He’s really given the trophy to Kolkata,” Bhutia told indiansuperleague.com, while praising his performances in earlier matches as well.Asked for his impressions of the final, Bhutia said it went exactly as he predicted it would go in a column in a leading English national daily today. He had said the final would be a tight game with not too many goals and it would go into extra time. It almost did. “They (Kolkata) were trying to defend and take it to extra time, and they got one chance and they finished it,” he quipped.Asked who his player of the tournament would have been, the Indian icon replied, “Iain Hume, I think.” It was a choice that was later vindicated.