Welcome to Sportstar's coverage of the ISL 2020-21 encounter between ATK Mohun Bagan and NorthEast United on Sunday .
That's it for the night, folks. Thanks for tuning in!
And ATK Mohun Bagan will continue to keep the lead with seven wins and 20 points at the top. It has played one game more than Mumbai City FC who has 19 points. The two sides can settle the debate at the top when they meet each other next week.
As for NorthEast United FC, an 11-day break and five changes in its playing dynamics were not enough to stop the Roy Krishna juggernaut that turned the match on its heads. The Highlanders remain at the sixth position with 11 points.
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ATK Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Habas: (On scoring more goals in the second-half) I think it's very important (to keep momentum) when there is no support in the stadium. May be when the team is against the run of play. We played good football in the second-half. I am happy. We had the control in the first-half and that made the difference.
(On contention with Mumbai for top-spot and hiring players with attitude over ability) I think our team plays good football in quality and the respect to the opponent. You can win or lose. I don't want players with this philosophy (playing arrogant football). We have to respect Mumbai and all our opponents.
MATCH REPORT |
NorthEast United coach Gerard Nus: I think that the special efforts that we did really showed in this game. We knew what to expect. We know that last year they (ATKMB) won the championship and we see that they follow their plan. We were serious and did not give anything to them. It was pretty much the two set-pieces in the second-half that cost us the game.
(On whether missing Kwesi Appiah reflected in a loss) I disagree. It was basically the two mistakes that cost us the game but we were serious. We know how to defend. It's hard when we have kind of (few)attempts and we don't take them. At the end of the day, we have to congratulate them, a fantastic side.
Post-match quotes from both camps coming up next...
9:21 PM: The second-half mavericks are back again. After a below-par first half, Habas' men flapped their wings in the second and the storm was too strong for the Highlanders, who failed to recover from jolt of the first goal from Roy Krishna in the early moments in the second-half. It was double-trouble with an another goal coming from a corner, however, off the leg of its skipper Benjamin Lambot.
Gerard Nus' men will have to turn back into the drawing board and find ways to create chances up front in the third-half.
Numbers:
9:20 PM: A seventh cleansheet for the brickwall ATKMB defence as it tops the points-table once again.
The referee's whistle blows! ATKMB 2-0 NEUFC
90+3' How did that not go in?? NorthEast players swarm into the ATKMB box. After much struggle the Mariner defence has kept the ball out of danger. Arindam was all over the place and they have managed to keep the scoreline intact.
90+1' Glan Martins and Dylan Fox leaps for the ball and Martins has landed awkwardly on his back. Oh, that's going to be painful.
FIVE MINUTES OF ADDED TIME.
SUBSTITUTION - Inman in for Williams ( ATKMB )
84' Williams shoots. A try out from 25-yards by him but moves wide past the post, a lot of eagerness and power there!
Gerard Nus is furious as he cannot fathom the lull defence by his players. A lack of aggression has put them under a cast by ATKMB.
80' A completely subdued NorthEast in the second half, failing to raise the game to match up with the prowess of Roy Krishna and ATKMB. A little more than 10 minutes remaining.
SUBSTITUTION - Manvir Singh in for Prabir Das, Glan Martins in for Edu Garcia (ATKMB)
SUBSTITUTION - Machado in for Camara (NEUFC)
And we have the second cooling break of the night.
73' Krishna is on the sidelines. He is seen to be in some pain.
70' FREEKICK for NEUFC. Gallego hits the cross-bar!!! Nearly there for the Highlanders. Gallego forces in a near perfect curler, agonisingly hits the post and falls out.
68' Roy Krishna dashes into the box with only Dylan Fox chasing behind him. Fox catches up and kicks the ball off play just when the Fijian was stepping up to shoot on to goal.
66' Substitution - Pronay Halder in for Sahil Shaikh (ATKMB). And soon enough earns a Yellow card for a needless challenge.
65' Another corner for ATKMB and there's another close shave. NEUFC put to the backfoot now. Each move from the Mariners is looking threatening to close out the game.
Substitution - Gurjinder Kumar and Ninthoinganba Meetei in for Provat Lakra and Rochharzela (NEUFC)
62' What a turnaround in the second half from ATKMB. They have stepped up the game in the box and NorthEast has hardly had a moment to react.
59' YELLOW CARD. Prabir Das is fuming at the referee there. A needless challenge in the first place against Provat Lakra. The referee intervenes and shows the card to Das.
56' GOAL! Number two for ATKMB! Another corner. Another goal. Sandesh Jhingan scores his first-ever ISL goal. Eduardo's cross is met by him charging in. Lambot is seen protesting the call after he is brought down by Jhingan en route his first goal. It looks like it is an OWN GOAL. The ball has touched Lambot on the way to the net and it has been adjudged as an own goal.
54' FREEKICK for NEUFC. Fox tries to find skipper Lambot but Jhinghan heads it away to safety.
50' GOAAAALL! And it is none other than Roy Krishna! Eduardo forces in another corner which misses the huddle of the Highlander defenders. Krishna pounces on it and smashes it in. His sixth goal of the season. ATKMB 1-0 NEUFC
49' CORNER FOR ATKMB. Eduardo shoots to the far end, trying to meet Krishna but Camara pushes it to another corner for ATKMB.
47' Change of pace here by ATKMB. Another cross from Subhashish from the left flank into the NorthEast defence. The Highlanders have kept out the danger once again.
46' CORNER . Eduardo snaps in another corner but the NorthEast defence smashes it out of fanger.
SECOND HALF UNDERWAY
End of First Half: ATKMB 0-0 NEUFC
Numbers:
Gerard Nus and his men must be feeling good about this half. After an 11-day break, the 5-men rejigs have worked so far for the Highlanders in the middle. However, up front NorthEast has been easily played out by a powerful ATKMB defence. The quality in the final-third has not been top notch for the Mariners either. Krishna and Williams have looked iffy while the key man tonight, Prabir Das, has missed more than a couple of close chances to make a difference in the scoreline.
45' 3 minutes of added time.
40' CHANCE! Prabir Das can walk back at half-time and count the numbers of chances he has had. Another cross into the box and Das dubs his marker to force a header which does little to challenge Gurmeet in goal.
37' NEUFC must be feeling upbeat to have kept a menacing ATKMB attacking at bay. However, their real test lies at the other end, in that unbreakable defence of the Mariners. The NorthEast attackers have sparsely touched the third-half.
We are back again.'
30 minutes and there we have a drinks break.
27' Krishna! Not one but two chances from the Fijian in two minutes! A curler from outside the box first up is saved by goalkeeper Gurmeet. Krishna comes again from the left flank and swirls the ball into the box, hoping to meet Prabir but Gurmeet intervenes just in the nick of time. The deadlock continues.
25' Close! NEUFC had a good chance from a free kick there. David Williams! He keeps it out for a corner, barely. NorthEast had another chance from the corner but Rochharzela heads it wide.
23' Suhair shoots. A rather wry chance into the ATKMB defence and goes out for a throw.
20' Must say it has been an enticing first-half even as there were little chances for either side to make changes to the scoreline. The possession has been rotated by both sides but ATKMB has looked more threatening to score and attacking in play.
16' FOUL! Dylan Fox rolls down Roy Krishna and both of them tumble. ATKMB served another free kick. Garcia steps up again. And there's the first close chance! Garcia's finds Carl Mchugh with the cross who heads it just inches above the cross-bar.
12' ATKMB dominating possession here. NorthEast struggling to move the ball forward. More and more questions being throwed at its defence.
9' CROSS! A threatening move from Prabir Das into the box, aiming to find Krishna. NEUFC skipper Lambot has however quelled the danger there. Das has managed to create pressure on the NorthEast defence.
6'FREE KICK FOR ATKMB. Garcia curls in a powerless shot and it is cleared with ease.
5' Both sides trying to create the chances early on. Rochharzela powers a shot from the left flank but Jhinghan intervenes at the right moment.
1' FOUL by ATKMB! Early free kick for NorthEast. Debutant Sahil Shaikh brings down Gallego. Gallego forces a slow chip from the free kick into the box which moves wide of the post without a touch from any one.
AND THE GAME BEGINS!
7:20 PM: And here they are, the NorthEast players make their way out to the middle. Soon, followed by the Mariners, led by Arindam Bhattacharja and line up for the National Anthem.
7:11 PM: It's a stark challenge for Gerard Nus and his men. Can they dent the ATKMB fortress tonight?
7:05 PM: Both teams are out on the pitch and going through their training routines.
7:00 PM: We are 30 minutes away from kick-off!
6:45 PM: Meanwhile, East Bengal has prevailed convincingly over Odisha at the Tilak Maidan Stadium. A 3-1 win has finally lent SCEB its first victory while an agonising Odisha is left reeling at the bottom.
Catch all the highlights from the match here : SCEB vs OFC
6:40 PM: ATKMB : 20-year-old Sahil Shaikh makes his ISL debut. Prabis Das comes into side for Pronay Halder.
NEUFC : Gerard Nus makes as many as five changes to his side! Rochharzela, Idrissa Sylla, Suhair Vadakkepeedika,Khassa Camara and Provat Lakra comes in to the 11.
6:32 PM: The Lineups are here!
ATKMB (4-4-2): Arindam Bhattacharja (GK/C), Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Tiri, Carl McHugh, Edu Garcia, Sahil Sheikh, David Williams, Roy Krishna.
NEUFC (4-4-2): Gurmeet (GK), Provat Lakra, Ashutosh Mehta, Dylan Fox, Benjamin Lambot (C), Khassa Camara, Federico Gallego, Lalengmawia, Rochharzela, Idrissa Sylla, Suhair Vadakkepeedika.
6:28 PM: Here are all the important stats, head-to-head record and players to watch out for from the second clash of a double-header Super Sunday.
6:22 PM: The Mariners have arrived at the Fatorda Stadium! Can they go on top of the table tonight?
6:20 PM: Some tonic for the nerves!
6:10 PM: Recent Form -
ATKMB - DWWDL
NEUFC - DLDDW
Can NorthEast stop the massive slump after a promising start to the season? A win tonight may do wonders, but the Highlanders will sorely miss their main man, Kwesi Appiah.
5:55 PM: Key Numbers: ATKMB VS NEUFC
ATKMB and NEUFC have similar stats on the goal-scoring front. However, the brick-wall defence of the Mariners have held the edge over most sides. Habas' men have conceded the joint-least goals so far this season. The Highlanders will have an uphill task to gain the three points tonight.
5:45 PM: Adios 2020, hello 2021!
2020 saw loss, defeat, death and suffering. But it also gave us a few moments to hold on to. We cherish these little mercies as we step into a brand New Year. Here's wishing all our readers and subscribers a very Happy New Year.
Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 here. Click Here
The seventh edition of the ISL got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.
The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.
MATCH PREVIEW
ATK Mohun Bagan will be looking to consolidate its position at the top of the 2020-21 Indian Super League standings when it takes on NorthEast United FC at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao on Saturday.
Antonio Habas' men have claimed 17 points from eight outings this edition, despite missing heaps of clear-cut chances.
The team's defence has been the best in the league so far, conceding just three and keeping six clean sheets. Goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharja is leading the charge for The Mariners with 24 saves.
Roy Krishna has done the bulk of scoring up front, finding the back of the net five times. Manvir Singh, who has two goals and an assist, is playing second fiddle to the Fijian striker.
David Williams' return to full fitness is a boost for ATKMB but the Australian forward, who bagged seven goals and five assists last season, is yet to reach his best.
Habas defended Krishna's performances in the previous two games, while also providing an injury update on Javier Hernandez, who has missed five straight matches.
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“I have to analyse the performance of the whole team and not just Roy Krishna. He can score goals but what's important is his attitude and overall performance. Javi was well, but just before the Chennaiyin FC match he had some problem, and we preferred not to force the player," the Spanish coach added.
Meanwhile, after accumulating eight points from its opening four fixtures, NEUFC picked up only three in its next four. With two victories, five draws and a loss, Gerard Nus' outfit is suddenly part of a mid-table melee.
The Highlanders, who have had a mixed 2020-21 ISL, came from behind to secure a point against Kerala Blasters and Bengaluru FC, while they dropped two from winning positions versus FC Goa and Odisha FC.
NorthEast boss Nus feels his squad has what it takes to breach the ATKMB backline and get back on track in the playoffs race.
"If they concede only three goals in eight games, you know they're doing lots of good things. We'd like to prove those statistics wrong by scoring more goals. In the last game against Odisha, we made a record 18 attempts. That's something we need to feel proud of as no other ISL team has achieved that so far," he told, during a pre-match press conference.
Nus will miss his top-scorer Kwesi Appiah, who is out injured, and the gaffer suggested that he could be active in the January transfer window.
“We're looking to get Appiah ready as soon as possible. We are discussing everything with the medical department. We want to do everything in our hands to make him ready for the upcoming games.
"In terms of movement in the market, we have our eyes and ears open. To determine the players needed, we have to analyse and consult with the coaching staff and management," he claimed.
As Mohun Bagan chases a sixth win in the tournament, a spot in the top-four is NEUFC's if it comes out on top in the ninth game of the season for either side.
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