ATK Mohun Bagan kicked off their debut in the AFC Cup with a 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC. Roy Krishna and Subasish Bose were the goalscorers.
With the win, the Mariners lead Group D whereas Bengaluru needs to win the rest two matches for a place in the knockouts. In a match between two vocal coaches, Habas once again turned out to be the winner.
ATKMB now have a big chance to reach the knockouts if they win their next match against Maziya. Whereas, BFC needs to win their next two matches for qualification to knockouts. Both the fixtures are on 21st August.
ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 Bengaluru FC : Team News
Antonio Habas fielded his typical 3-5-2 formation spearheaded by Roy Krishna and David Williams.
Whereas, Marco Pezzaiuoli fielded a 4-2-3-1 formation.
ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 Bengaluru : Analysis
Both the sides started the match with a bang. However, the Mariners were indeed the better side while attacking. Despite failing to dominate with possession, they had more shots on target as compared to the opponents.
Hugo Boumous made an impressive debut and was always threatening BFC custodian Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Roy Krishna breaks the deadlock in the 39th minute resulting from a superb corner by Boumous. In addition to this, Sandesh Jhingan’s absence was complemented by a fine performance from youngsters Sumit Rathi and Pritam Kotal.
Whereas for the Blues, it was yet another frustrating performance as skipper Sunil Chhetri was kept out of the bay by the three-men defence. However, the defensive duo of Alan Costa and Yrondu Musavu-King was alert while defending.
Much was expected from Bidyashagar Singh, an elite goalscorer who came to the Southern club from I-league giants TRAU FC. In contrast, Liston Colaco was very much alive and was doing a great job upfront despite getting less playing time.
Notable Performances
Hugo Boumous (7.5/10) – No wonder the 3-time ISL champions bought him from Mumbai City FC! He was the magician on the pitch and almost got a goal for himself unless Sandhu produced an excellent save.
Roy Krishna (7/10) – Once again their main man delivered when it was needed the most! The Boumous-Williams-Krishna partnership looks deadly and could help them go all the way.
Sunil Chhetri (6/10) – The Blues skipper got very less chances and was well man-marked by the opponents. The squad was over-dependent on him and Cleiton Silva for shots on goal.
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