That is all from me on the blog. Stay tuned for the match report, talking points and podcast from the game. Until then it's goodbye.
SCORES READ NEUFC - ATK (0-3)
Gyan shakes his head from the bench. It all could have turned out differently if he had scored in the third minute and not gone off injured. Referee blows for the final whistle and ATK goes top of the table in style.
90' +4' - ROY KRISHNA adds a second and ATK's third! Jobby plays in a through ball and Krishna, who is helped by Vaz stepping up at the back, beats the offside trap. With only the keeper to beat, he chips it over his head. A comprehensive win for ATK this.
SUB for ATK: Williams goes off for Jobby Justin.
Four minutes of added time.
90' - Deary me! How have they have not scored that third goal? Williams on the break plays it behind for Krishna, who sets up Hernandez's run. The midfielder blasts it over the top on the run.
86' - Arindam gets a yellow card for time-wasting.
85' - Barrerio with a pile-driver from distance which is deflected narrowly off target. Leudo blasts it over the bar from close range. Another chance wasted from NEUFC in the last 10 minutes or so.
Sub for ATK: Jayesh Rane comes on for Edu Garcia
81' - Soosairaj with a shot at goal from distance but is way off target.
79' - Chaves surges forward, evades challenge before creating space to shoot from distance. Bur his shot is off target.
78' - Just as I type that, ATK has another chance to go 3-0 up! Krishna's cross fins Williams inside the box, who checks in before firing a shot at goal which is brilliantly saved by Roy!
The home support has found its voice in the last few minutes. ATK has ceded possession to NEUFC in the last 10-15 minutes which has allowed Jarni's men to have a real go in the last few minutes.
76' - Sehnaj SIngh is booked for a lunging tackle on Chaves. Free-kick on the edge of ATK's box. Tridadis' free-kick is smacked against the wall.
75' - Puitea finds Kadam's run with a ball over the top and the attacker doesn't hit the target with a header. He should have scored from that position.
71' - Prabir Das is booked for leaving his foot in on an NEUFC attacker.
Change for NEUFC: Nikhil Kadam comes on for Tlang.
70' - Leudo is booked for a shoulder barge on Javier Hernandez.
69' - Sehnaj stays with his marker and gets a vital intercpetion to deny Barrerio a shot on goal.
Agus has lost his bandage and is getting a look in from the physio again.
67' - ATK's defence has stood firm so far despite the two changes in the centre-back positions.
64' - Williams with a thunderous effort on the angle on the right side which is pushed behind by Roy.
63' - Triadis' delivery is cleared away first before a ping pong of headers inside the box. Sehnaj then boots it away from the box.
62' - Barreiro wins a free-kick outside ATKs box after going down to a push from Sehnaj.
58' - Another ATK break with Krishna finding Prabir on the right. The wing-back's long cross is brought down by Williams with a stunning first touch. He holds the ball to lay it on for Soosairaj, whose first touch desserts him.
53' - WHAT.A.MISS! Miss of the season? ATK on the break with Williams, who squares it across the face of the goal but Krishna puts it wide with his left foot! That should be 3-0!
Former NEUFC boss Avram Grant is in attendance.
51' - Redeem is found inside the ATK box with a diagonal ball but Salam Ranjan does well to get it off the attacker's feat before he could get a shot away.
47' - YIKES! Triadis catches Agustin's head with a high boot! Looks a nasty one that. Triadis is lucky to escape booking for that. Scratch that. He does get a yellow card for it. A big bandage around Agus' head and he should be okay to continue.
46' - NEUFC gets us underway for the second 45 minutes. Can the home side avert a first defeat of the campaign with a comeback?
SECOND HALF
No real goalmouth action in the added time as referee blows for half time whistle. A commanding display from ATK in the half which is rubber-stamped with two goals from the strike duo of Williams and Krishna.
TWO MINUTES OF ADDED TIME.
Javier Hernandez is down on the pitch grimacing in pain after Chaves catches his shin. He is back on his feet.
44' - Barreiro nearly keeps the ball in play on the byline. That had ATK's defence panicking a bit before the linesman put his flag up for a goalkick.
42' - He follows it up with a punch from a NEUFC corner kick.
That's probably Arindam's second touch since the save in the third minute from Gyan.
40' - What a save from Arindam! Triadis picks up the loose ball at the edge of the box, turns quickly and unleashes a thunderbolt on target! Arindam dives to his left to keep it out and away from onrushing NEUFC attackers!
38' - Javier Hernandez slots it narrowly wide from just inside the box after being set up by Williams. ATK is carving NEUFC's defence apart with ease.
34' - GOAL for ATK! But that's all for nothing as ATK goes 2-0 up! It's the combination of Krishna and Williams involved in the goal. Williams finds Krishna's run, who calmly checks in to leave Waz for dead before slotting it away from Roy's gloves.
33' - Superb interception from Kai Heerings! Javier looks to thread in a ball behind the defence to find Krishna's darting run inside but Heerings is alert to it and stretches to intercept the ball.
Four of the top five distances covered so far also come from ATK with Sehnaj, Garcia, Williams and Javier. Another indication why ATK is bossing this game.
32' - Williams leans into Wayne Vaz and NEUFC wins a free-kick with ATK looking threatening on the break from a long ball.
29' - NEUFC with a brief period of possession which leads to Sehnaj acrobatically clearing the ball away for a corner kick. Triadis' corner is headed out before Reagan volley's it over the bar from outside the box.
ATK is all over NEUFC. The Kolkata outfit should have scored three already.
25' - Another chance for ATK! Third successive corner finds the head of Augustin, who fires it over!
23' - Roy Krishna nearly gets the second! Another long ball over the top and Krishna gets ahead of Pradhan and leaves him behind. He runs through on goal on the right side and goes for a near post shot which Roy keeps out with his foot.
The TV graphic shows that the top three speeds recorded are from ATK's Prabir, Soosairaj and Williams. Williams and Prabir on the NEUFC's left flank have been a constant threat.
19' - Barreiro goes down inside the box after going into a shoulder barge with Salam Ranjan. Referee says no penalty.
16' - Redeem lets himself down with a poor touch on the right flank after having been found with a long through ball. His cross is straight into the hands of Arindam.
11' - GOAL FOR ATK! David Williams puts the away side in front! Just like that. Garcia finds Prabir on the right wing with a long ball. The wingback puts in a looping cross to the back post where an unmarked Williams directs his header to the far post goal. Pradhan tries to intercept it with a header of his own but he is late to it. Where was NEUFC's defence for that goal? They were all over the place.
9' - Gyan is replaced by Barrerio.
Gyan looks uncomfortable at the moment. He was seen clutching his knee after the stretch to go for goal earlier. He has now gone down and looks unlikely to continue. This will be a big blow for Robert Jarni's NEUFC.
7' - Williams whips in a cross into the box for Krishna, whose diving header is wayward.
NEUFC going direct early on. Puitea again goes aerial but this time Agustin gets in the way of it.
3' - Puitea and Gyan combine to nearly pull off a stunning goal! Puitea finds Gyan with a ball over the top, Gyan brings it down with his chest and stretches to toe-poke it in. Arindam gets behind it with his legs to save that.
2' - An early free-kick for ATK which Javier floats into the ball. NEUFC deals with it in its box before winning a free-kick of its own.
1' - ATK kicks off from left to right in its black kit.
FIRST HALF
Asamoh Gyan will be the danger man to contend with for ATK. The Ghanian has three goals in three home matches.
Salam Ranjan, who played just five times last season at East Bengal, is making his ATK debut. Interestingly, his ISL debut came for NEUFC in the 2016 season while on loan from Pune FC.
Two changes for ATK: Anas Edathodika and Carl McHugh is out while Agustin Iniguez and Salam Ranjan Singh slot in to the three-man defence. Quite an attacking line-up put out by ATK with all of Krishna, Williams, Garcia and Hernandez starting.
One change for NorthEast: Centre-back Heerings Kai comes in place of Mislav Komorski.
TEAM NEWS
ATK XI: Arindam Bhattacharja (GK), Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Salam Ranjan Singh, Agustin Iniguez (C), Javier Hernandez, Sehnaj Singh, Michael Soosairaj, Roy Krishna, Edu Garcia, David Williams
NEUFC XI: Subhasish Roy (GK), Wayne Vaz, Reagan Singh, Heerings Kai, Rakesh Pradhan, Jose Leudo (C), Martin Chaves, Panagiotis Triadis, Redeem Tlang, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, Asamoah Gyan
MATCH PREVIEW
An unbeaten NorthEast United faces a tough challenge when it faces ATK at home in an Indian Super League match here on Saturday.
It’s a clash that may have ramifications at the top of the table. NorthEast United is fourth with 10 points from six matches, while ATK is second with 11 points.
With the top four sides yet to really pull clear of the chasing pack, the two teams will see this game as an opportunity to establish some gap between them and those below.
Though NorthEast is yet to taste defeat this season, its form has been a little inconsistent. It has played three draws from its previous four games. Coach Robert Jarni will need his team to convert these draws into wins.
With the likes of Asamoah Gyan, Martin Chaves and Panagiotis Triadis playing well, the frontline has looked deadly, but it has been guilty of conceding cheap goals at the back.
However, in what is a sign of their fighting mentality, the Highlanders have come up with late goals whenever they have found themselves in a position of trouble.
“It does not depend upon us when the goals will come. In all games, in the first 15-20 minutes, we observe the opponents. When you play away from home, it is difficult to score as well,” Jarni said ahead of the match.
“We have many different players who are scoring the goals and making a difference,” he said, when asked if he was concerned that NorthEast are having to come up with late goals time and again.
In what should come as a huge relief for Jarni, Dutch centre-back Kai Heerings is back in contention after serving a suspension.
His return will play a huge role, given the fact that ATK has a deadly attack which features the likes of Roy Krishna, David Williams and Michael Soosairaj. Though Williams is on a goal drought of three games, Krishna has been in fantastic form with three goals from the last three games.
“For me, at this moment, this is the best team in India. ATK is a dangerous team. Because many players are very good with each other. And we want to give everything in the pitch to win the game,” said Jarni.
Antonio Habas’ men are unbeaten for five games now, but are coming into this match after a couple of draws against Odisha FC and Mumbai City FC. While a win is paramount, expect the Spaniard to set up his team in an organised manner and allow very little space for NorthEast’s talented attackers.
“He (Gyan) is a very good player. He played three World Cups. Our idea is to defend freely and with determination. He is a very important player for NorthEast. We have to have control on the field,” said Habas.
“We are second in the league table. We are quite good in scoring goals as well. The team is balanced, but we want to be better,” he said.
ATK’s defence is expected to be shored up by the return of Agus Garcia and that will see Carl McHugh play as a defensive midfielder, providing an additional screen for defence.
WHERE TO WATCH:
You can watch the live telecast of this Indian Super League (ISL) match on the Star Sports network. You can also watch the live stream on Hotstar.
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