ATK Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC - Who won yesterday's ISL 2021-22 match?
ATK Mohun Bagan beat Bengaluru FC 2-0 in match no. 61 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Sunday.
It was a very important game for both sides. For the Mariners, a win would secure their position amongst the top four temporarily, taking them closer to Hyderabad FC. With Marco Pezzaiuoli's side, a win could have given them hope of catapulting them into the top four.
The match started with Bengaluru FC on the front foot. ATK Mohun Bagan looked slightly off in the opening exchanges between the two sides.
Hugo Boumous was unable to create any chances for his side. One of the most noticeable things was his body language. The creative midfielder did not attempt to recover possession after losing the ball. This took the pressure off the shoulders of the Bengaluru FC defenders while their attackers kept bombarding the Mariners defense.
However, the Green and Maroon Brigade were also resilient at the back. But the side were struck with a blow after Hugo signaled the bench and asked to be substituted. He struggled with a muscle pull that hindered his natural game. Hugo was taken off in the 40th minute and replaced by Deepak Tangri.
The substitution allowed Joni Kauko to participate more in attack. The Mariners steadily grew into the game towards the end of the first half.
Liston Colaco tried to enter the box but was sandwiched between Bruno Ramires and Ajay Chhetri and earned a free-kick. Liston himself stepped up to take it and scored past Lara Sharma.
ATK Mohun Bagan add a second to spoil Bengaluru FC's hopes
The second half resumed with both sides looking lively. Liston Colaco and Manvir Singh terrorized Bengaluru FC's defense with their pace and movement.
The Mariners could have doubled their lead if not for the goal-post. Carl McHugh got past a few players with some intelligent footwork and passed the ball to Liston. He cut inside and released a shot but the ball hit the post and came back.
The Bengaluru FC head coach made many changes to try and influence the result in their favor. Ashique Kuruniyan was taken off to be replaced by Namgyal Bhutia and Parag Shrivas was replaced by Yaya Banana. Prince Ibarra was taken off to be replaced by Leon Augustine while Rohit Kumar took Ajay Chhetri's place on the field.
After a while, Subhasish Bose was involved in two incidents at both ends of the field that saw his opposite number take the fall. The first one being against Yaya Banana. The Cameroonian defender went ahead with a 50-50 challenge against Bose and was booked for the attempt.
At the other end, Leon Augustine tried to get inside the box and in the process went down along with Subhasish Bose. The Blues midfielder cried for a penalty but the referee was not interested and booked him for diving.
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ATK Mohun Bagan took the game under their control after adding a second goal in the 85th minute. An initial attempt was cleared and Bengaluru FC tried building from the back. However, Rohit Kumar's back pass ended with Manvir Singh and the striker a few touches and a shot with his weaker right foot. Lara Sharma dived in the right direction but could not stop the ball from going in.
After the goal, the Mariners sat back and soaked in the final attempts made by Sunil Chhetri and his colleagues. However, they failed to get past the compact ATK Mohun Bagan defense and the scoreline remained still until the final whistle.