Ajit Karn
Saturday in Kolkata, ATK Mohun Bagan defeated East Bengal FC 2-0 to extend its Kolkata derby winning sequence to six games in the Indian Super League. It also confirmed the Mariners’ third-place result in the final game of the season. The ATKMB led for the majority of the first half. In the opening five minutes, they made numerous offensive movements, but none of them led to significant scoring opportunities. After a corner kick, a ball was lobbed to Pritam Kotal at the far post, but the defender sent his volley over the crossbar.
Suhair VP’s long-range attempt was the first chance on goal for East Bengal, which Vishal Kaith collected with ease. The majority of the Torch Bearers’ forward movements were limited to counterattacks as ATKMB maintained possession.
By the middle of the first half, there were speedy crosses in both directions, as well as robust challenges that resulted in three yellow cards before the halftime whistle.
The second half began similarly to the first, and Petratos was given space to break the impasse in the 52nd minute, just as the crowded stands turned on their lanterns.
Ashique Kuruniyan played the striker through on the left side of the penalty area, and he waited a moment before striking with his left foot across the face of the goal, only to hit the upright.
However, ATKMB would eventually take the advantage. In the 68th minute, the Mariners’ center-back Slavko Damjanovic scored the game-winning goal after East Bengal FC successfully defended a sequence of consecutive corners.
The corner kick was intended for Manvir Singh at the near post, whose deft touch went over the defensive wall and into Damjanovic’s head. The defender assisted in scoring as the ball drifted back towards him after bouncing off the upright.
The match continued to be played at a frenetic tempo, but neither team was presented with more than half-chances. At one point, Kuruniyan’s deception down the left flank enabled him to dart inside, but his right-footed shot went wide of the goal.
At the other end, East Bengal FC was diligent but unable to consistently burst into the box.
Petratos was able to clinch the derby for ATKMB after the team’s dedication to finding an equaliser resulted in two excellent scoring opportunities in a matter of seconds.
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Substitute The ball was passed through to Kiyan Nassiri in front of the net, but Kamaljit blocked his shot. Unfortunately for Kamaljit, the rebound landed directly into Petratos’ path, and the striker tapped it in to secure third place for ATKMB.
As a result of their third-place finish, ATKMB will remain in Kolkata for their first quarterfinal match. The defeat ensured that East Bengal FC completed the season in tenth place. The Mariners have now won eight consecutive matches against East Bengal, including the I-League match in January 2020, before Mohun Bagan’s merger with ATK. East Bengal had not defeated the Mariners since December 2018, when they prevailed 3-2 in the I-League.
