ATK Vs Bengaluru FC Reactions: Prabir Das, David Williams reflect on win

The defender was high on work-rate right from the get-go and tormented the Blues.

ATK triumphed over reigning champions, Bengaluru FC, as the two-time Indian Super League winners won 3-1 (3-2 on aggregate) to overturn a 1-0 deficit carried by the Blues from the first leg. Antonio Habas' men were buoyed by some exceptional performances on the night as more than fifty thousand people witnessed it at the Salt Lake stadium. The main protagonists of this win were Prabir Das and David Williams and the duo shared their thoughts after the match.

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It has been a fairytale comeback for Prabir Das who was out with an ACL injury and missed the entire last season. However, this season he has been a revelation for the Kolkata-based outfit. Das delivered when it mattered with two assists and was also adjudged as the man of the match, therefore speaking about the match he said, "It is not just about me, the whole team played really well. Actually, we played well in the first leg at Bengaluru, there we had 67% ball possession but one silly mistake made us lose the match. Here, also we conceded early but we believed in ourselves that we can make a comeback."

Prabir Das has mustered five assists this season and speaking about his venomous crosses for the strikers, he added, "I focused a lot of my technique and I was very hungry since I missed the whole of last season. I worked on my strengths but I was not very happy as I was not getting enough assists so I had a chat with the forwards and I am happy I could deliver when it mattered the most."

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David Williams, on the other hand, has been a very influential figure in this ATK side with seven goals and four assists and yet again in a crucial game, he was phenomenal upfront as he scored a brilliant brace.

While Williams had the last laugh on the night, there were questions regarding his first goal where he had an encounter with Suresh Wangjam and the youngster tripped him inside the box and the Aussie scored from the subsequent penalty. Bengaluru FC head coach Carles Cuadrat clearly opined that for him, it was not a penalty but when asked the Australian was quick to point out the handball instance in the buildup to the first goal from the visitors.

"There was a lot going in my mind at that point of time. It was a rush of blood and I don't really want to comment on that. I need to see it first. But then tell me about their(Bengaluru) first goal, there was a handball in the buildup, maybe he(Nili Perdomo) did not intend to but they got that advantage. I feel there was a clear contact inside the box and defenders need to be careful going in like that," Williams opined.

The 32-year old also shared the team's halftime talk as he felt that staying positive and waiting for their chances paid dividends in the end.

"We knew we had to be patient and wait for our chances. It was not very much a tactical battle we knew we had to work hard. we played the last game in the league against them and that helped us here, we knew what we had to do against them."

"I think it was more on the mental side than being tactical. They were always going to be defensive and we need something special and the crowd helped us a lot. We were building from the back and we knew that me and Roy(Krishna) had to create something out of nothing. We did well as a unit and won the mental battle and this crowd pushed us over," the former Wellington Phoenix forward added.

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David Williams also lauded Prabir Das, he expressed, "He was unbelievable. He has been good in many games but he didn't get the recognition. Prabir is doing really well, he follows his instructions carefully. He is one of the most hard-working players in the team. He deserved the player of the match award.”

Roy Krishna is ATK's go to penalty taker, well that's what everyone thought before this game. However, Williams was one who scored from the spot and when quizzed about the decisions of taking the spot-kick, the Australian concluded, "That is what the game is. You have to make the runs fast and be in the spots to score. I was really desperate to take the penalty and despite Roy(Krishna) being our penalty taker but I had a feeling and in our team, we don't have a bonded agreement and if one feels that they are comfortable and good to go from the start and from the dressing room and I believe that the crowd kept us going."

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