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Mohammedan Sporting came back from behind and overcame a spirited challenge from Sheikh Jamal Dhanmondi Club to emerge winners in the penalty shootout and clinch the IFA Shield for the first time since 1971.

Playing in front of a frenzy 40,000-odd home support at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, both the teams were locked 1-1 at extra time.

Substitute goalkeeper Naseem Akhtar, who came in place of an injured Luis Barreto in the extra time in a fine move by Mohammedan Sporting coach Sanjoy Sen, thwarted Didarul Haque's spotkick for a 4-3 win in the shootout.

Down 0-1 in the 28th minute after Sony Norde's curling freekick, Mohammedan Sporting made a comeback at the stroke of halftime when Mehrajuddin Wadoo made it 1-1 in the 45+1st minute to spark a celebration.

Both the teams were reduced to 10 players in the 82nd minute when referee Santosh Kumar showed red cards to Luciano Sabrosa of Mohammedan Sporting and Norde of Dhanmondi who were engaged in a tussle.

Having lost Norde in the regulation, it was a big setback for Dhanmondi as Mohammedan Sporting slowly came back into the game.

Both the teams wasted opportunities in the extra time to take the match to the shootout where Khanthang Paite, Manish Maithani, Nirmal Chettri and Wadoo scored for Mohammedan while Joshimar hit the crosspiece.

For Dhanmondi, Wedson Anselme, Nasir Uddin Chowdhury, Mohammad Yasin Khan converted their chances while Ali Amisu shot away.

Required to block the shot to emerge winners, Mohammedan's stand-in custodian Naseem did just that and denied Didarul a goal to shatter the hopes of the Bangladeshis who had come in large numbers to support the side.

Chasing history to become the first Bangladeshi club to win the 118-year-old title, Dhanmondi looked threatening with their striking trio of Emeka Darlington, Wedson Anselme and Sony Norde in fine form, while Mohammedan Sporting were let down by their disoriented attack.

Mohammedan Sporting had a chance when Manish Maithani led a solo run but his leftfooter went over the bar as it was Dhanmondi who looked more penetrating.

In a 27th minute attack, the referee showed a yellow card to Rakesh Masih outside the box for a bad tackle with Norde.

Norde utilised the freekick to perfection as his curled in freekick swung into the net through the first post to give the Bangladeshi side the upperhand.

Dhanmondi stormed into the final with a thumping 3-0 victory over 28-time champions East Bengal in the semis, while in the group stage they had ousted Mohun Bagan.

Mohammedan Sporting of Dhaka were the last and the only Bangladesh club to make the Shield final in 1995, which was won by East Bengal.

Has arguably the world's best player, Lionel Messi, lost his passion for football?   

Former Barcelona assistant coach Angel Cappa certainly thinks so, as he told La Xarxa (via Matt Jones of Goal.com):

To play football you need boundless passion, like Messi had, like the great players like [Diego] Maradona ... any important player in the Primera Division: Xavi, Iniesta, Busquets. You need enormous passion, you need that energy that comes from an absolute love of the game.

[On Wednesday against Sociedad], he participated [in the game] a little more, but the day they played Valencia, I couldn’t understand how a player could play football so dispassionately.

And especially him, because if we look at a game of his from three or four years ago, there was that craziness, that passion that he had for playing.  And I don’t know why or for what reason, but that is coming to an end.

Cappa also theorized that Messi has simply become bored with the game after being "married for 15 years to football." He also accused Barcelona on the whole of playing the game with much less enthusiasm than they've displayed in years past.

It's important to note, of course, that Cappa is simply theorizing about Messi's motivations rather than providing an insight on them based upon a relationship with the player or some type of insider knowledge. If he does have a source within the club informing his position, he did not claim as such.

David Ramos/Getty Images

Of course, Messi's production hasn't severely waned this season. While he has been beset by injuries, he has still scored nine goals and added six assists in 15 La Liga appearances. He's also WhoScored.com's top-ranked La Liga player with an average match rating of 8.25.

While those marks are below his normal goal-scoring pace, they're hardly shabby. And there's no question that his recent battles with injuries over the past two seasons have had some effect on his game.

He's certainly not talking like a man who has lost his passion for the game, either. He spoke about his desire to succeed for both club and country at a recent event for Gillette, via Sky Sports:

Winning titles with the team is more important to me than winning individual awards. I hope to win everything with Barcelona and obviously I hope Argentina can reach the World Cup final.

Whether it is against Brazil or whoever it would just be a dream come true to play in the final.

Yes, Messi and Barcelona are in a lull. The club has won just one of its last four league matches (drawing twice), and Messi has just a goal and an assist in his last five La Liga contests, so it's easy to see how Cappa came to his conclusion.

But accusing Messi of losing his passion for the game is also a very big claim, and one that will probably be more accurately affirmed or denied after his performance for Argentina in this year's World Cup, where a title with his country would put him in the discussion for greatest player of all time.

If he's listless and uninterested this summer, Cappa's comments will be verified.