ATK Mohun Bagan moved within a point of reaching the 2021 AFC Cup knockout stage, after coming from behind to defeat Maziya Sports & Recreation 3-1.
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ATK Mohun Bagan manager Antonio Habas’ tactical change in the second half turned things on its head, as the franchise beat Maziya Sports & Recreation 3-1 in an AFC Cup 2021 Group D encounter at the National Football Stadium in Male on Saturday. The come from behind win takes the ISL club one step closer to the knockout stage. Aisam Ibrahim found the back of the net for the hosts in the first half. However, after the break, the Mariners equalized through Liston Colaco before Roy Krishna earned the lead for Habas’ side. Manvir Singh sealed the three points with ATK Mohun Bagan’s third goal of the night in the 77th minute.
Both sides came into the match on the back of contrasting results as ATK Mohun Bagan defeated fellow Indian side Bengaluru FC while Maziya were beaten 2-0 by Bashundhara Kings.
The first attempt of the match came from Krishna as the Fijian combined with David Williams to force a save out of Maziya goalkeeper Mirzokhid Mamatkhanov. However, the hosts scored from a quick counterattack in the 25th minute after Williams’ free-kick was blocked and the clearance fell to Cornelius Stewart. The Caribbean winger easily dribbled past two defenders and delivered a low cross for Ibrahim to sweep in the first goal of the game.
Surprisingly, Habas relegated their star playmaker Hugo Boumous on the bench and played Liston behind the two strikers Krishna and David Williams. This saw the Indian side looking less threatening going forward.
Ashutosh Mehta came in for Sumit Rathi at the start of the second half and the Mariners changed to a four-man backline. The substitute immediately got involved as he provided the assist for the equalizer. Mehta’s precise cross from the right flank was headed in by Liston.
After the hour-mark, Boumous and SK Sahil came in for Williams and Deepak Tangiri respectively. Boumous quickly turned the tables as he released Liston on goal but his shot was blocked by Mamatkhanov ’s foot. However, the rebound fell to Krishna, who calmly lobbed the ball over the goalkeeper to take the lead.
The Frenchman was once again involved as he played a perfectly weighted through ball to release Manvir to goal. The 25-year-old Indian international went through unchallenged and slotted the ball inside the net with a brilliant finish.
At the other end, Stewart struck the post from outside the box and Ibrahim Hassan forced a save out of Amrinder Singh. However the Green and Maroon defence stood firm to secure the three points and go atop Group D with 6 points from 2 games.
ATK Mohun Bagan will next play Bangladeshi club Bashundhara Kings in their final group tie on August 24. Anything other than a loss on Tuesday will take Habas’ side through to the knock-out stage, where they will face the winners of the Central Asia Zonal Final. Meanwhile, Maziya joins Bengaluru FC in being eliminated.
In the other match of the day, Bengaluru FC were held to a goalless draw by Bashundhara Kings. Therefore, the Blues were eliminated after recording just one point from two games.
