ATK Mohun Bagan vs Mumbai City FC - 4 things we learned
ATK Mohun Bagan came off the back of a three-goal derby delight against a Mumbai City FC side who lost their previous match to Hyderabad FC. The clash looked like the perfect opportunity for redemption for the Mariners after their meetings last season.
The match looked far off from an attempt to get revenge as ATKMB were light years behind the Islanders in every department. The match ended with Mumbai City FC registering a 5-1 victory against ATK Mohun Bagan.
The match witnessed some controversial decisions from the match officials which mostly went against the Green and Maroon brigade.
Offensively, ATK Mohun Bagan did not look as sharp compared to their previous outings in the edition's ISL. Defensively, ATKMB were chasing their opponents and looked out of shape possibly on every occasion.
Here is a look at 4 things we learned from this ISL encounter.
#4 ATK Mohun Bagan's need to be flexible based on situations
TK Mohun Bagan's Spanish coach, Antonio Lopez Habas, has definitely been a milestone for other coaches to look up to given his consistency in the ISL. But the match against the Islanders in the last edition definitely pointed out his shortcomings.
Mumbai City FC are a side who like to keep possession and keep the ball moving with good speed to create scoring opportunities. Deploying Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco as the only players on the wings isolated the wings from the rest of the team.
It puts even more pressure on the wingbacks in regards to getting back into shape.
#3 Refereeing going against ATK Mohun Bagan
One of the key aspects of the game that will leave the ATK Mohun Bagan camp fuming alongside their fans is how the referees took to officiating this crucial ISL fixtures.
Some of the decisions that went against the Kolkata giants definitely took a toll on the mood of this fixture. The second goal by the Islanders, scored by Vikram Singh, was a definite handball but was rewarded as a goal. ATKMB defenders, along with goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, protested against it but in vain.
The header from Mourtada Fall also looked offside but match officials felt otherwise. Deepak Tangri's sending off in the early moments of the second half looked harsh as well from a footballing point of view.
For the latest ISL live score 2021, click here.
#2 Mumbai City FC displaying their old form
After a disappointing result against Hyderabad FC, head coach Des Buckingham stated that the result did not harm his side's mentality. This was evident from Mumbai City FC's dominating performance against ATK Mohun Bagan.
The team moved the ball around easily created chances, mostly from the left wing where Bipin Singh usually leads the way.
#1 Vikram Pratap Singh: A revelation
Vikram Pratap Singh has been a key player for Mumbai City FC under Des Buckingham. The young attacker, who is usually deployed on the right side of midfield, displayed valor and his collection of skills to keep Liston Colaco and Subhasish Bose busy throughout the game.
Scoring a brace against ATK Mohun Bagan will certainly add more to his confidence going forward.