ATK Mohun Bagan strike twice in the second half to beat East Bengal

Goals from Slavko Damjanovic and Dimitri Petratos helped the Mariners to do the double over East Bengal and seal third place.

ATK Mohun Bagan produced a dominant 2-0 win against East Bengal FC at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan on Saturday to keep up their unbeaten Kolkata Derby record in the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) and confirm a third-placed finish in their final league game of the season.

It was ATKMB who were ahead for much of the first half. The opening five minutes involved a lot of attacking moves on their part, although none resulted in any substantial scoring opportunities. Pritam Kotal came closest when a ball was chipped to him at the far post after a corner, but the defender sent his volley over the bar.

Contrasting tactics from the two managers

East Bengal FC’s first shot on goal was a long-range effort from Suhair VP that Vishal Kaith gathered with ease. Most of the Torch Bearers’ forward moves were limited to counterattacking ones as ATKMB kept control of the possession. By the middle of the first half, there were pacy crosses in either direction, with robust challenges also coming into the fray which would result in three yellow cards before the half-time whistle.

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The second half began similarly to the first, and Petratos was given space to break the deadlock just as the packed spectators held up their flashlights in the 52nd minute. Ashique Kuruniyan slid the striker through on the left side of the box and he took a moment before striking across the face of the goal with his left foot, only to hit the upright.

Damjanovic hands ATKMB the lead with a clever flick

But ATKMB would eventually get into the lead. After a series of back-to-back corners that East Bengal FC were able to stave away, centre-back Slavko Damjanovic managed to put the Mariners in front in the 68th minute. The corner was aimed at Manvir Singh at the near post, whose clever flick bounced over the defensive wall and towards Damjanovic’s head. The defender’s glance bounced off the upright before he helped into goal as it trickled back towards him.

The match between East Bengal and ATK Mohun Bagan continued to keep its high pace, but once again, neither team was presented with anything more than half-chances. Kuruniyan’s trickery down the left allowed him to cut in at one point, but his right-footed effort was fired over the goal. At the other end, East Bengal FC were industrious, but were unable to break into the box with regularity.

Host of chances towards the end for the Mariners

Their commitment to the equalizer eventually meant two big chances in the span of seconds for ATKMB, and Petratos was on hand to seal the Derby for them. Substitute Kiyan Nassiri was played through in front of goal, but Kamaljit parried his shot; unfortunately for the goalkeeper, it fell straight into Petratos’ path and the striker tapped it in to seal third place for ATKMB.

Their standings means ATKMB will stay in Kolkata for their first playoff fixture. The loss for East Bengal FC against ATK Mohun Bagan meant they finished the season in 10th place.