ATK Mohun Bagan’s superior quality told in the end fetching them a comfortable 2-0 win against East Bengal through goals from Slavko Damjanovic and Dimitri Petratos; the result sealing them the third place in their final game of the league phase. Having finished on 34 points, ATKMB will host Odisha FC in a play-off on March 4 with Bengaluru FC playing Kerala Blasters one day earlier to decide who joins the top two teams, league shield winners Mumbai City FC and defending champions Hyderabad FC, in the semi-finals.
That Damjanovic, a January signing as central defensive back-up, could be comfortable in his second start encapsulated the depth in ATKMB’s roster. As did their not risking Carl McHugh getting a booking and missing the play-off. This hasn’t been a clash between two of Indian club football’s aristocrats since East Bengal joined the Indian Super League in 2020, also the year of ATK and Mohun Bagan’s collaboration. A never-before 13 defeats in a competition in the 103-year-old history of East Bengal is proof of that. Should you need more, refer to ATKMB winning all Kolkata derbies in ISL.
ATKMB operate on a “substantial budget” said East Bengal coach Stephen Constantine “while we need to develop players, made do with players other clubs don’t find good enough.”
Yet, ATKMB have struggled for goals. This was the first time in 2023 that they won two games in a row. East Bengal are yet to do that in ISL. ATKMB got three free-kicks in dangerous areas inside the first 15 minutes but couldn’t make them count. Ditto with six corner-kicks inside the first hour. Pritam Kotal could have changed that in the fourth minute but skewed a difficult side-volley into the night sky.
But persistence pays and from a sequence of three corner-kicks, ATKMB broke the deadlock in the 68th minute. Petratos’ delivery was cushioned by Manvir Singh and Damjanovic headed into the upright before tapping home. Kiyan Nassiri was close to scoring his first ISL goal since his January 2022 hattrick against East Bengal but was let down by a heavy touch. At 90+1, Nassiri tried again but was denied by East Bengal goalie Kamaljit Singh . Only for Petratos to outmuscle Charalambos Kyriacou and stab home the rebound. Petratos had also hit the upright in the 52nd minute.
Having absorbed the early pressure, East Bengal did create the better chances in the first half but the finishing lacked finesse. Still, India head coach Igor Stimac, who was at Salt Lake stadium on Saturday, would have liked what he saw of East Bengal’s Naorem Mahesh Singh, Mobashir Rahman and VP Suhair. As he would of the shift put in by Singh who has recently returned from injury.
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