But it didn’t help their case when the most potent goalscorer from the country Sunil Chhetri missed a penalty just before halftime. The Blues from Bangalore are former champions boasting the most recognisable Indian players. Late on Saturday night, Mumbai City was to face a Bengaluru FC team that has not had the best start to the season, but is more than capable of pulling things together when it mattered most. #WeAreBFC #ComeTogether #BFCMCFC /QOzzo0QSRa Marco Pezzaiuoli gave us his thoughts after a disappointing night at the Bambolim. It brought ATK crashing down after a mesmerising start to the campaign, and put the Mumbai team back on track after an upset loss to Hyderabad FC.Īnd it possibly gave them a boost before the second big clash of the season. This first big match of the season turned out to be anything but that. Bipin Singh, a star from last season and creator of the first two goals added a fifth before David Williams – who replaced Boumous at half-time – gave ATK a consolation goal through a delightful strike from distance. The resulting freekick saw Jahouh perfectly deliver the ball for Fall – who was offside – to head home the fourth. Within 20 seconds, ATK defender Deepak Tangiri was shown the red card for taking a swipe at Vikram. But the second didn’t get off to a bright start either. A third goal came through Igor Angulo in the 38th minute before the referee mercifully ended the half. Habas, a master tactician often criticised for shutting up shop too early, could do nothing to reorganise his team to stop the Mumbai onslaught. Another 20 minutes later, albeit through a trailing arm in a follow-through – the entire play was so quick that it could arguably have only been spotted by VAR – he doubled the lead. On Wednesday, he’d get his first start and he’d promptly side-foot a close range shot through Amrinder’s legs to open the scoring. Vikram Pratap Singh, a 19-year-old from Chandigarh, had played just 98 minutes last season spread over 11 substitute appearances. ATK Mohun Bagan FC DecemFirst start, first two goals
Not the result we were hoping for but we will be back stronger! ?♥️ #ATKMohunBagan #JoyMohunBagan #আমরাসবুজমেরুন #HeroISL #ATKMBMCFC /bPEGcbnFJQ There was a lot expected, but the promise was broken after just four minutes. There was no mistaking the crescendo in the build-up to the first ‘big’ game of the season. It was a clash between the Islanders who held onto two of the ISL’s most proficient foreign players in Ahmed Jahouh and Mourtada Fall, and the Mariners who swooned in during the transfer window to lure Mumbai City’s long-time goalkeeper Amrinder Singh along with their talismanic playmaker Hugo Boumous – the latter for an ISL record transfer reportedly around $280,000 for five years.Īnd then there were the two managers – the young Des Buckingham, a 36-year-old from Oxford, fresh off the boat from winning the A-League title with Melbourne City, and the veteran Antonio Habas who has managed two ISL-winning teams. This was a clash between a team that has the backing and riches of the City Football Group, and a legacy club that was founded in 1889. After all, this was the clash between the two teams that finished atop the group stages last year, and then even contested the final – the Mumbai side winning both. And the storylines were vast before kick-off ahead of ATK Mohun Bagan’s duel against Mumbai City FC at the Fatorda Stadium. Ninety minutes of football later, East Bengal scored four goals, but conceded six in a nervy 10-goal thriller.īut this third week of the Indian Super League (ISL) season was meant to be about the other club from Kolkata. By all means, this factoid was meant to be just that, a reminder from the statistics book. In his pre-match build-up, veteran commentator John Helm described how the last time East Bengal played Odisha FC, the Kolkata team scored five goals and still lost the match.