Hello and welcome to Sportstar's highlights of the ATK Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC AFC Cup Group stage tie that was played at the Maldives national football stadium.
ATK Mohun Bagan began its AFC Cup campaign in style as it cruised to a commanding 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC at the Maldives national football stadium on Wednesday. ATK Mohun Bagan captain Roy Krishna put the side ahead in the 39th minute as he flicked Subhasish Bose's header past Bengaluru 'keeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Bose turned scorer a minute after the restart as he drilled the ball into the bottom corner to double his side's lead.
Bengaluru FC dominated ball possession but was largely ineffective in the final third. The Blues failed to take their chances as the Mariners back-line held on for a cleansheet in the absence of ace defender Sandesh Jhingan, who has joined Croatian First Division (Prva HNL) club HNK Sibenik.
FULL-TIME - ATK Mohun Bagan 2 (39' Krishna, 46' Bose) - 0 Bengaluru FC
90+4' Manvir makes a strong run on the right and squares it for Liston, who had space to shoot, but the Goan forward lost his footing and the chance in the process.
'90+3' Suresh is shown a yellow card for a poor challenge on Tangri. Suresh had a go at Tangri's right knee from behind and the latter seems to be in a spot of bother.
90+2' Liston storms into the box and tries to dribble his way past Costa, but the Brazilian wins the battle for the third time running.
90' Four minutes of added time to be played.
89' Late change for ATK Mohun Bagan as Krishna makes way for SK Sahil.
86' Mind-boggling block from Costa! Bidyananda lobs it towards Liston, who's racing towards goal, abd Costa extends his foot to neatly collect the ball.
84' Decent chance for Bengaluru as Ajith floats in a cross towards Parag in the box. He nutmegs Manvir and tries to sneak it past Amrinder but beat the 'keeper.
81' Costa's down-the-field lob races away from Leon and that sums up Bengaluru's attacking woes of the day.
78' Liston Colaco makes his ATK Mohun Bagan as he comes on for Williams. Liston has been one of the brightest young talents in the ISL and enjoyed a fantastic campaign with Hyderabad FC last season.
77' Leon makes a stirring run and cuts into the centre of the box before he's hacked down by Sumit Rathi. The ATKMB defender goes into the ref's book, while Cleiton's resultant free-kick is woefully off-target.
75' Bengaluru FC has dominated possession with 68 percent, but the Mariners have been a lot more purposeful with the ball. Last 15 minutes to go!
72' That will be Boumous' last contribution for the day as he is replaced by Bidyananda.
71' Boumous' low strike catches everyone off guard and is deflected for a corner.
70' Ajith brings Subhasish at the edge of the box and ATKMB has a free-kick from a dangerous position. This has Boumous written all over it!
69' Pezzaiuoli makes another substitution as Parag Shrivas is introduced for Roshan.
67' Another change for Bengaluru as Leon Augustine replaces skipper Sunil Chhetri. That's some change from the coach...
65' This is classic Habas territory - take the lead, sit back and defend until the counter-attack opportunity comes around. The Blues continue to throw men forward.
63' Boumous fouls Costa and kicks the ball away in frustration. He's lucky to escape a booking, but so is Cleiton who pulled off an embarrassing dive at the other end of the pitch. Cleiton is already on a yellow.
61' Ajith fires a dangerous cross from the right but cannot find a white shirt in the box.
59' Double change for Bengaluru FC - Sarthak has been replaced by Ajith Kumar, while Udanta makes way for Bidyashagar Singh.
56' Sarathak cross from the right is dealt with by the defence and McHugh seems to be in need of some medical attention.
53' Phenomenal hit from Cleiton and an even better save from Amrinder! Roshan finds Suresh, who lays it for the Brazilian. Cleiton strikes it cleanly with the outside of his boot and it swerves away from Amrinder but the 'keeper does well to glove it away.
50' Danish's arrival will add some much-needed pace to Bengaluru's attack, but this ATK Mohun Bagan defence looks terrific. Chhetri and co. will need to produce a moment(s) of magic to get the better of the Mariners back-line.
47' Habas could not have asked for a better start! Bengaluru coach Pezzaiuoli, though, must be furious with that early goal.
46' GOAAAAAAAAAL! SUBHASISH BOSE MAKES IT 2-0! The ATK Mohun Bagan defender receives Williams' pass, twists away from his marker to curl it past the 'keeper. A fantastic finish from Subhasish, whose header led to the opening goal.
46' Change for Bengaluru FC as Ajay Chhetri is replaced by Danish Farooq, who is widely nicknamed Kashmiri Ronaldo .
46' KICK OFF! And the second half gets underway.
A thrilling opening half comes to end as ATK Mohun Bagan leads 1-0, courtesy of Roy Krishna's 39th minute header. Both sides got off to a sluggish start and the game began to unravel after the first 20-odd minutes. ATKMB banked on the creative abilities of new signing Boumous, who was instrumental in the side's chances and fortunes. Bengaluru, on the other hand, struggled to stitch passes together in the final third and rarely challenged ATKMB 'keeper Amrinder.
The Mariners took the lead when Krishna flicked a header past Gurpreet to open his tally for the season. The Fijian scored 14 goals last season and won the ISL Golden Boot.
Bengaluru will be eager to get on the scoresheet and find a way back into this game as it chases its first win over ATK Mohun Bagan since 2019.
45' Bengaluru wins a late corner but can't convert as ATK Mohun Bagan heads into the interval with a slender 1-0 lead.
43' Bengaluru pressing ahead in search of a quick equaliser, but to no avail. Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli will address his side's attacking woes during the interval.
41' Krishna makes the most of the few chances he gets. He had a relatively quiet opening half hour but the moment the chance presented itself, the Fijian pounced at it. He scored 14 goals for the Mariners in the ISL last season.
39' GOAAAAAAAAAAL! Roy Krishna puts ATK Mohun Bagan ahead! Boumous floats the corner in from the right and Subhasish heads it towards the goal. Krishna, unmarked in the goalmouth, heads the the ball past Gurpreet to give the Mariners the all-important lead.
38' Terrific work from Roshan on the right as he uses his body to keep Manveer away from the ball and knocks it away for a corner.
35' Boumous is clutching his hamstring...and that does not look too good. The heat is rising and so are the tempers!
32' Gurpreet produces a sublime save to thwart ATK Mohun Bagan's counter. Roshan's cheeky step-over and cross on the other end of the pitch was cleared by the ATKMB defence and Boumous latched on to the loose ball. The skillful Frenchman dribbled his way past three men before releasing Krishna on the far end. Krishna, under tremendous pressure from his marker, had a shot on goal that was deflected. Boumous was at the right place at the right time to slot home the rebound but Gurpreet did remarkably well to keep out his shot.
30' Nothing to separate the two team at the half-hour mark. Williams receives the ball on the left flank and weaves his way towards the box before letting one rip with his right boot, but it's a routine save for Gurpeet.
26' Cleiton whips in a free-kick straight at Amrinder and all Alan Costa has to do is get the slightest of connections, but it's a tad too far for him.
24' What a peach of a ball from Boumous! He turns the ball onto his left foot and curls a stunning long-ball for Krishna. The Fijian fell short of the ball by a mere foot or two. Great vision from Boumous.
21' Boumoooooous...that was close! The Frenchman brushes aside Suresh's challenge and skips past Sarthak before unleashing a fierce left-footer. Gurpreet is up to the challenge and parries it away. First real chance of the game!
20' Ajay Chhetri makes a strong run and finds Udanta Singh on the right, whose cross wins Bengaluru a corner.
18' Bengaluru's passing has been sharp but the side has repeatedly lost the ball in meek fashion in and around the attacking third. Chhetri has received little to no supply in the opening 18 minutes.
16' Boumous, who was instrumental in Mumbai City FC's ISL triumph last season with three goals and seven assists, has been forced to play a more deeper role here at ATKMB. He's falling back and trying to orchestrate play from deep inside the ATKMB half.
12' It's been an intense opening few minutes here, some good quick passing and strong tackles. Neither 'keeper has been troubled so far.
10' First booking of the game and Bengaluru's Cleiton Silva goes into the ref's book for a foul on Kotal.
7' Krishna and Williams play a neat little exchange before Ajay gets a foot in to clear the danger.
4' Jayesh Rane has a crack from about 35 yards out....and it zooms past the post. Rane comes into the game high on confidence after scoring the winner in the 1-0 victory over Club Eagles on Sunday.
3' The Mariners have begun on the front foot and have pressed Bengaluru FC deep into their half.
1' ATKMB wins a free-kick right away as Williams clatters into Sarthak.
1' KICK OFF! Bengaluru FC, in its white away kits, begins proceedings from right to left.
4:25pm: Roy Krishna leads out the Mariners, while Sunil Chhetri (obviously!) dons the captain's armband for Bengaluru.
4:15pm: Kick-off in 15 minutes! Will Bengaluru FC be able to get the better of ATK Mohun Bagan for the first time in two years or will Habas' star-studded side take top honours?
4pm: Bengaluru FC will be looking for its second win on the trot after beating Club Eagles on Sunday, while ATK Mohun Bagan will be playing its first competitive game since the ISL final in March. ATKMB coach Antonio Habas, though, feels new-look team is ready for the challenge despite the lack of gametime -
3:50pm: In other news, ATK Mohun Bagan's premier defender Sandesh Jhingan has signed for Croatian First Division (Prva HNL) club HNK Sibenik. The Mariners confirmed his departure on Wednesday -
Jhingan had joined ATK Mohun Bagan from Kerala Blasters last season after a lengthy injury lay-off. One of the captains of the side, he played in all 22 of the Mariners' matches last campaign.
3:40pm: ATK Mohun Bagan went all-out in the summer transfer window to further bolster its squad after the ISL final defeat to Mumbai City FC. The Mariners' prized catch, Hugo Bumous, who was poached from Mumbai City, will make his debut for the club today. The Kolkata-based side roped in several top players over the summer, including the likes of goalkeeper Amrinder Singh and Deepak Tangri, who are also in the starting XI.
The three other new arrivals - Liston Colaco, Ashutosh Mehta, Bidyananda Singh - are on the bench.
3:35pm: Two changes for Bengaluru FC from its 1-0 win over Club Eagles on Sunday as Naorem Roshan Singh and Ajay Chhetri come in for Ashique Kuruniyan and Rohit Kumar. Ashique does not make it to the bench either.
3:30pm: Team news!
ATK Mohun Bagan XI: Amrinder, Kotal, McHugh, Sumit, Subhasish; Tangri, Lenny, Boumous; Williams, Krishna, Manvir
Bengaluru FC XI: Gurpreet, Roshan, King, Alan Costa, Sarthak; Jayesh Rane, Ajay, Suresh; Chhetri, Cleiton, Udanta
Match preview -
Familiar foes Bengaluru FC and ATK Mohun Bagan lock horns in AFC Cup Group stage tie
Bengaluru FC (BFC) will look to get the better of familiar foe ATK Mohun Bagan for the first time since 2019 when the two sides clash in their AFC Cup Group D match here on Wednesday.
BFC will be looking to carry its momentum as it beat Club Eagles 1-0 in the playoff on Sunday. Coach Marco Pezzaiuoli's side is grouped alongside ATK Mohun Bagan, Bashundhara Kings and Maziya S&RC, with only one team set to qualify for the inter-zone playoff semifinals.
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"Our last game was only two days ago, so it was a short recovery for the team. It's not really an advantage, but I can see the glass either as half empty or half full, and I choose to see it half full.
"There was a good spirit and positive energy in the team after the win. We need to be very sharp against ATK Mohun Bagan, because I am expecting an aggressive game," said Pezzaiuoli, speaking at the pre-match press conference.
ATK Mohun Bagan, which qualified for the group stages of the competition by virtue of the erstwhile Mohun Bagan's victorious 2019-20 I-League campaign, has made some strong recruitments since its defeat to Mumbai City FC in the 2020-21 Indian Super League final. The Kolkata-based side roped in several top players over the summer, including the likes of French midfielder Hugo Boumous, goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, Liston Colaco, Ashutosh Mehta, Bidyananda Singh and Deepak Tangri.
"ATK Mohun Bagan like to play a lot of long passes, go for the second ball and press high up on the pitch, which calls for a different approach from us. But they have also changed things in the summer, by bringing in a French foreigner (Hugo Boumous), among other players.
"This shows that they want to win the Indian Super League and the AFC Cup. We have to be in good spirit, show good focus and I am certain that we have a chance of winning tomorrow," Pezzaiuoli added.
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ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Antonio Habas was equally confident of his side's chances against Bengaluru FC.
"With all that is happening with the COVID-19 pandemic and lack of participation from our foreign stars, we are (still) looking forward to doing our best in the competition," he said.
Habas' team last played competitively in the Indian Super League final in March against Mumbai City and the Spanish tactician felt the long break between games may not necessarily be an advantage for his team.
"I know we have not kicked the ball for a while and obviously our players have had adequate rest but that doesn't mean we have the clear advantage. I don't believe in this philosophy as I think the team who shows more desire will win tomorrow," he said.
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Jayesh Rane scored the only goal of the game when the Blues beat Club Eagles, and with only three games to play in the group stages, goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu said the task at hand was one that required focus and commitment from all corners.
"It's true that things are different this time, because there are fewer games to play in the Group. But it is still difficult, and we have to be focused. It was important for us to get into the Group Stage because we want to do well in Asia, as a club," said Gurpeet.
The ATK Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC match will kick-off at 4.30 PM IST.
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