ATK Mohun Bagan bounces back with a 1-0 win over Hyderabad
Defending Indian Super League champions Hyderabad suffered their second loss on the trot, as they were handed a 0-1 defeat by ATK Mohun Bagan here at the Salt Lake Stadium. The solitary goal of the match was scored by Hugo Boumous who helped the Mariners sink the defending champions away from home.
ATK Mohun Bagan head coach Juan Ferrando made one change to his starting XI following a 0-3 defeat against Goa. Finnish midfielder Joni Kauko, who sustained an ACL injury, was replaced by Irishman Carl McHugh.
On the other hand, Hyderabad head coach Manuel Marquez Roca made four changes to the team which lost 0-1 against Kerala Blasters. Anuj Kumar, Sahil Tavora, Halicharan Narzary and Joel Chianese were replaced by Gurmeet Singh, Hitesh Sharma, Reagan Singh and Borja Herrera respectively.
The Mariners took control of the match right from the start, and while the first ten minutes did not create any clear-cut openings, the breakthrough eventually came in the 11th minute. After receiving a pass from Liston Colaco, Boumous did well to carry the ball forward despite receiving a few blows. He passed the ball to Ashique Kuruniyan on the left flank, who then launched a cross for the Frenchman. For a player of his calibre, Boumous made no mistake in beating the Nizams’ custodian, Gurmeet.
Ferrando’s team had a gilt-edged chance of making it 2-0 for his team only three minutes later, but despite finding himself one-on-one with the goalkeeper, Colaco struck his shot straight at Gurmeet.
It took 24 minutes for Hyderabad to create their first opportunity when Bartholomew Ogbeche launched a cross into the box, but Nikhil Poojary could not get any proper connection on his header. A few minutes later, Herrera also joined the act to deliver a cross, but once again, there were no takers from Roca’s team.
After weathering the storm in the last exchanges of the first half, ATK Mohun Bagan once again regained control of the game from the beginning of the second period. The first opportunity of the half came in the 51st minute when Colaco tried to find the top corner, but Gurmeet pulled off a spectacular save to keep the scoreline at 1-0.
ATK Mohun Bagan defenders did well to keep Bartholomew Ogbeche quiet
Seven minutes later, Kuruniyan could have easily added another assist to his name when he delivered a dangerous cross inside the box, but while the ball evaded everyone, Kiyan Nassiri and Gurmeet collided in the process.
In the 73rd minute, Ogbeche tried his luck from a free-kick. While his attempt was venomous and on target, the Mariners’ custodian Vishal Kaith did well to parry it away. Ferrando’s team could easily have punished the miss by scoring only six minutes later when Nassiri’s cross found Subhasish Bose unmarked inside the box, but the full-back could not keep his shot on target.
The last opportunity of the match came in the added time. After receiving a pass from Mohammad Yasir on the right flank, substitute Abdul Anjukundan delivered a precise cross into the box. Spanish forward Siverio was at the right place and at the right time, but he could not guide his shot on target.
With this victory, ATK Mohun Bagan has leapfrogged Goa and Kerala Blasters to claim fourth place with 13 points to their name. They will now take on Bengaluru on Saturday while Hyderabad, who remain second with 16 points, will be up against Chennaiyin on the same day.