AFC Cup 2021 Ratings: Boumous, Ashutosh prove worth as ATK Mohun Bagan beat Maziya S&RC

The victory helped Mariners go on top of the Group D table.

ATK Mohun Bagan moved within a point of reaching the 2021 AFC Cup knockout stages as they came from behind to beat Maziya S&RC 3-1 on Saturday.

The result sets up a heated final day encounter between ATK Mohun Bagan and Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh for a place in the Inter-Zone Semifinal while group hosts Maziya join India's Bengaluru FC in being eliminated.

The two sides came into the match on the back of contrasting results, with ATK Mohun Bagan having overcome Bengaluru FC 2-0 while Maziya fell against Bashundhara Kings in their opening match.

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The hosts opened their account for the campaign after 25 minutes when Cornelius Stewart led a quick counter-attack, embarking on a solo run down the right before crossing for Ibrahim Aisham who swept home Maziya’s opener.

The Indian side got their second half off to a flying start as halftime substitute Ashutosh Mehta produced an instant impact, whipping a pinpoint cross from the right for Colaco who met it with a diving header into the back of the net to bring ATK Mohun Bagan level.

Four minutes after the hour-mark, substitute Hugo Boumous executed a fine through-pass, sending Colaco through on goal, but the latter’s attempt was saved by the hosts’ Uzbek goalkeeper, but only as far as the onrushing Roy Krishna who kept his composure to expertly strike on the rebound to give ATK Mohun Bagan the lead for the first time in the match.

https://youtu.be/QxFlf_KYK7c

Boumous displayed his creative abilities once more with 14 minutes to go, feeding Manvir Singh with an exquisite pass, and the forward made no mistakes with only the goalkeeper to beat, drilling it into the bottom corner to make it 3-1.

Here is a look at how the ATK Mohun Bagan players performed against Maziya S&RC:

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Amrinder Singh (GK) - 7.0

Amrinder Singh conceded a goal but he was left vulnerable by his defenders in that particular situation. After the opening goal, he looked solid and prevented the opposition from scoring again. A close-range save from inside the box was one of the highlights from the custodian’s good performance.

Pritam Kotal - 6.5

The Bengali defender had a game of two-halves. If the first-half was disappointing, then the second was superb. The right-sided center-back read the attack well in the second-half and kept the opposition attackers from scoring. He made four clearances, two interceptions and three ball recoveries.

Subhasish Bose - 7.0

Bose had a brilliant overall game on the left-flank. He was defensively astute, winning seven duels, and keeping a 100% tackling success rate. The defender made several aerial and ground clearances too. On the attacking front, Bose made darting runs forward and delivered three crosses too. 

Sumit Rathi - 5.0

The young defender did not have a good outing. The defender was substituted after the first-half. He was constantly troubled by Cornelius Stewart. The 19-year-old failed to win any duels and was dispossessed once in his own half.

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Deepak Tangri - 5.5

The midfielder received an early yellow card for a flailing arm that caught an opposition player. He was strong in tackles but a little careless in possession. Tangri lost four duels and found it tough to deal with the press from the Maziya midfielders.

Carl McHugh - 7.0

The Irishman was the central defender in a three-man backline and he used his experience to play the role of a stopper well. Seven overall clearances and six ball recoveries on top of 50 touches (most for ATKMB) culminated a solid performance. 

Lenny Rodrigues - 6.0

The Goan midfielder had a lukewarm outing in the heart of the midfield. He delivered an industrious performance but would have liked to cause more discomfort with his ball distribution. He had an 87% pass success rate and made six ball recoveries as well. 

Manvir Singh - 7.5

The young forward played as a right wing-back and did not get enough time in attacking situations in the first-half. However, Manvir found more space in the second-half and played in a more advanced role. Boumous found one of his runs down the channels and Manvir Singh slotted the ball in the left bottom-corner comfortably to score the third goal for his team. 

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Liston Colaco - 7.0

The 22-year-old made his first start for the Mariners after moving from Hyderabad FC. The winger looked off-the-pace in the first-half and wasted several attacking opportunities. However, he scored the equaliser early in the second-half with a good header. Colaco had an opportunity to score a brace but the keeper saved his attempt from close-range.

David Williams - 6.0

The Australian attacker could not leave a mark on the game and looked isolated for the most part. He took only one shot, which was off target as well. The Australian only had 20 touches in the entire match and could not combine with Roy Krishna as well as he would have liked. He was substituted for Boumous after the 60-minute mark. 

Roy Krishna - 7.5

The talismanic Fijian looked to have given the team an early lead but his goal was chalked off for an offside offence. However, he got himself on the scoresheet eventually.

The striker pounced on a loose ball and slotted it home in the 64th minute. Furthermore, Krishna ran his socks off, blocking five shots and winning five duels. 

Substitutions

Ashutosh Mehta - 7.0

The defender made an instant impact after coming on as a sub. His cross from the right-flank found Liston Colaco who slotted the ball inside the net with a sublime header. Mehta was also comfortable in defence and kept the right-flank silent. 

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Hugo Boumous - 8.0

Arguably the biggest signing for an Indian side in the summer, Boumous came on as a substitute and changed the complexion of the game single-handedly. He made an instant impact by initiating the move which ended up with the second goal for the Mariners.

The midfielder looked to be in a league of his own, showcasing exceptional ball control in the right-flank. The Frenchman followed that with an assist by finding Manvir for the third goal. 

Sk. Sahil - 6.0

The youngster came on alongside Boumous in the second-half for Tangri to add more legs to the midfield. He performed his duties well and provided cover to the backline when required. 

Engson Singh - N/A

Came on as a substitution late in the game. Could not have any lasting effect. 

Abhishek Suryavanshi - N/A

Came on as a substitution in the final seconds of the match.

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