ISL 2021-22: ATK Mohun Bagan vs FC Goa - 4 things we learned
ATK Mohun Bagan piped FC Goa 2-1 in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Wednesday, highlighting the Mariners' recovery under new boss Juan Ferrando.
The Spaniard faced his former club FC Goa for the first time since making the switch to ATK Mohun Bagan mid-season. Both ISL teams started the first half with light sparring, however, it was the Mariners who broke the deadlock.
In the 23rd minute, Liston Colaco received the ball in the FC Goa half and put this foot through it. From almost 30 yards out, his shot dipped past Dheeraj Singh's head and wrapped into the net off the crossbar.
ATK Mohun Bagan doubled their lead through Roy Krishna. The Fijian found himself at the end of a deflected Hugo Boumous corner-kick in the second half. The ball set up perfectly for him and he thumped home a vicious volley.
FC Goa looked toothless in the final third. However, they pulled a goal back in the 81st minute thanks to an absolute howler from ATK Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Amrinder Singh. The Indian shot-stopper made a complete mess of a regulation save and pushed it into his own net.
On that note, let's take a look at the four key talking points from the game between ATK Mohun Bagan and FC Goa:
Liston Colaco firing all cylinders for ATK Mohun Bagan
Lately, watching ATK Mohun Bagan and not admiring Liston Colaco has become an impossible task. The young Goan winger, blessed with a bagful of skills, has developed himself into a lethal finisher.
With five goals, he is already the top Indian goal-scorer in the 2021-22 ISL season. The expression "Golazo from Colaco" has become one of the most prominent ones this season.
Hero of the Match @colaco_liston was too hot to handle for @FCGoaOfficial, as he played a crucial role in @atkmohunbaganfc's thrilling win! 💪💥
Catch his best moments from #ATKMBFCG 🎥
#HeroISL #LetsFootball https://t.co/qjkwQrbEIO
His mazey runs on the ball make it difficult for the defenders to track his movement. Once Colaco is on his right foot near the opposition box, it's prayer time.
How the young man develops under Juan Ferrando is arguably the most exciting prospect in Indian football at the moment.
View the today's ISL match result here.
FC Goa lacking the edge in the final third
Although FC Goa had their name on the scoresheet tonight, it's fair to say they hardly created any threatening opportunities. Derrick Pereira's men enjoyed considerable possession in and around the ATK Mohun Bagan box but lacked the final ball on every occasion.
With Airam Cabrera out injured and Jorge Ortiz not hitting his top form, you've got to sympathize with FC Goa. Moreover, Alberto Noguera, their creator-in-chief, was forced to play from deep in the absence of Edu Bedia in the middle of the park.
FC Goa will hope to quickly have their injured foreigners back to restart their recovery journey after a horrendous start to the season.
Amrinder Singh's poor run of form for ATK Mohun Bagan continues
After their first eight games of the season, ATK Mohun Bagan have only kept a single clean sheet and conceded 16 goals already. During that time, the Mariners were managed by Antonio Lopez Habas, who is known for shaping lean, mean defenses.
So where is ATK Mohun Bagan faultering?
It's hard to argue that the departure of Sandesh Jhingan has affected the defensive stability. However, there are other pressing concerns as well i.e., the form of Amrinder Singh. The veteran shot-stopper has been keeping the ISL for a number of years now. But his recent stretch of form has been concerning.
Amrinder Singh is the joint highest in the league amongst goalkeepers for goals conceded inside the box. While he is 12th for shots saved inside the box in the league this season with six. The numbers are a clear indication of his fall from grace.
Going forward, whether Juan Ferrando trusts Amrinder as his number one remains to be seen.
Roy Krishna steadily finding his feet as target man in ATK Mohun Bagan's possession-based system
Roy Krishna, for over two and a half years now, has thrived under Antonio Habas' low-block, counter-attacking system. The Fiji international has haunted opposition defenders on the break with pace on the last man and his ability to bully past players.
"As a team, we played really well."
@RoyKrishna21 scored a cracker tonight, and led his team to a 2-1 victory over @FCGoaOfficial.
#ATKMBFCG #HeroISL #LetsFootball https://t.co/LTi0Upxc6c
But now, under Juan Ferrando, the former Wellington Phoenix striker is being deployed as a lone target man upfront for ATK Mohun Bagan. Amid rising curiosity about how Krishna would take on the new role, the Fijian showed tonight that he's slowly but steadily adapting to the new system.
Roy Krishna tonight dropped deep, collected the ball and held off defenders allowing Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh to play off him. Although Krishna grabbed the goal tonight, his major role tonight was to muscle the FC Goa center-backs out of position.