Both Atletico de Kolkata and Mumbai City FC had supporters and viewers convinced that the match was going to end in a stalemate as neither team seemed to possess the precision required to score a goal and take away all three points from the fixture. In fact, in the second half, Kolkata looked like the more threatening and energetic side while the Mumbai players looked tired and beaten.
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All that changed when Sony Norde came running towards Prabir Das and Arnab Mondal, left them in his dust and provided a lethal pass to Diego Forlan who was never going to miss so close from goal. His strike took a slight deflection but had too much power for Debjit to get his hands on. Mumbai’s eventual victory helped them climb to the top of the league table while Kolkata’s unbeaten run was brought to a crashing halt.
Here’s how the players from both teams rated:
Atletico de Kolkata
Debjit Majumdar – 7/10
The ATK goalkeeper made an acrobatic one-handed stop in the first half that kept Mumbai from registering a lead against the home side. He made yet another crucial save in the second half at his own personal risk. He had a good game yet again but was very unlucky to concede to Mumbai in the second half.
Prabir Das – 5/10
Prabir Das will remember the match for the goal that was conceded on his watch. He looked sharp and dangerous all night, doing his part both defensively and attacking along the flanks but completely lost the plot against Norde. Prabir failed to deal with him and his pass helped Forlan score Mumbai’s winning goal.
Arnab Mondal – 4/10
The centre-back had a quiet game, the most notable moment of which came when he too failed to cut off Norde as he was getting dangerously close to goal. He was quickly replaced by Didika after the goal was conceded.
Tiri – 6/10
The Spanish defender was back with Arnab as a centre-back pair and seemed to have fallen into a great rhythm. He made important tackles that stopped Mumbai in their tracks.
Robert Lalthlamuana – 6/10
Robert did well to block a cross from Sena Ralte in the first half. However, the ball took a deflection from his foot and fell directly in front of Norde. Robert was lucky that his goalkeeper is such a great shot stopper.
Borja Fernández – 5/10
The Spanish midfielder definitely saw a lot of the ball attempting a total of 69 passes but seemed to slow the game down a bit at times. He just didn’t seem on the same wavelength as his much quicker and energetic teammates such as Doutie and Hume.
Stephen Pearson – 6.5/10
Pearson was the far better player in ATK’s midfield. He was passing the ball around with ease and a sense of accuracy. He did his job for the night well – making recoveries, collecting the ball and moving it forward – until he was taken off in the second half in favour of Belencoso.
Sameehg Doutie – 7/10
The South African winger continues to be a delight to watch. He was quick, fiery and oh-so-eager yet again for Kolkata. He was quick to pounce on the ball and surge ahead. On a few occasions, he did well to run behind Mumbai defenders. He delivered some great crosses which were of no avail. And he did have a moment where he aimed a grossly misdirected shot on goal.
Javi Lara – 7/10
Javi Lara came close to giving Kolkata the lead many times. His free kick in the first half was poor but his shot came back to him on the rebound. He did well to control the ball and aim another shot but he missed by inches. His free kick in the very last minute of the game almost rescued a draw for Kolkata but it was stopped by Mumbai keeper Gomes.
Abhinash Ruidas – 4/10
Another talented winger from India, Ruidas was ineffective during the first half. His runs and attempts to find space were met by immovable Mumbai defenders. He was replaced at the start of the second half by another young talent, Bidyananda Singh.
Iain Hume – 7/10
Hume was a bundle of energy all night. He worked very hard to cause trouble for the Mumbai players and get in behind them. He had a few great attempts on goal but failed to score from any of them.
Many times during the game, he was an isolated figure who wasn’t getting an adequate supply of good balls. The lack of service forced him to play slightly lower than he might have preferred.
Substitutes
Bidyananda Singh – 6/10
The youngster had an immediate positive impact on the game as soon as he came on for Ruidas. He delivered a cross into the box with great pace that Gomes failed to catch. He made a few positive runs within a couple of minutes of coming on and even tried his luck by aiming a shot on goal.
Belencoso – 3/10
Belencoso was introduced into the fray in place of Pearson with 20 minutes of the game left to play. Even with the time he had, he made very little contribution to the team’s attempt to go ahead and attack, especially after ATK conceded.
Didika – 5/10
Didika was introduced into the central midfield as he replaced Mondal after ATK conceded. He played his part well but could do very little with the time he had.
Mumbai City FC
Albino Gomes – 8/10
The Mumbai goalkeeper was kept busy all night by the likes of Doutie and Hume. He made two crucial saves in the second half, one a shot from Hume and the second, a powerful free kick from Javi Lara in the final minute of the game. He managed to keep a clean sheet and helped his team to the top of the table.
Anwar Ali – 6/10
A solid performance from the Indian, Ali played well in a back-three and despite ATK’s many chances, was a confident enforcer for his team.
Lucian Goian – 8/10
The Romanian defender made a huge number of blocks and tackles throughout the night. He put in a great sliding tackle as Hume looked like he was going to score in the first half. He even did well to deny Doutie as the South African was preparing to aim a shot on goal.
Gerson Vieira – 7/10
Vieira got an early shot on goal in the first half from a distance but missed narrowly as his shot took a deflection.
Sehnaj Singh – 6/10
The Indian midfielder made a great block with his chest when an unmarked Doutie headed the ball in an attempt to score from a corner.
Cafu – 7/10
The winger put in some impressive defensive work tonight, tracking back to block a cross around the half-hour mark. He failed to read a ball from Forlan too but was pretty involved while his team was attacking. Unfortunately, he had to go off with an injury in the second half.
Khongjee – 5/10
The Indian defender was quick to stretch himself and head an early cross away from Borja. He also made a bad tackle on Doutie earning himself a booking.
Sena Ralte – 6/10
Ralte’s low cross into the box a little after 30 minutes forced Robert to make a block.
Vadócz – 6/10
The Hungarian enjoyed a great moment of quick play with Norde. The Haitian passed a great ball to him but Vadocz failed to get the right touch.
Sony Norde – 8/10
Apart from being lucky to avoid a yellow card for his dive, Sony Norde did well all night. He kept making dangerous runs straight at the defenders that eventually paid off. He left both Prabir and Mondal in his dust and delivered a savage cross to Forlan who converted it into their winning goal.
Diego Forlan – 8/10
The deadlock was finally broken by the Uruguayan just before the 80-minute mark. A powerful shot that took a slight deflection and then rendered the goalkeeper hapless. In spite of starting as a striker, he spent much of the game trying to move the ball out of the midfield.
Substitutes
Ashutosh Mehta – 6/10
Ashutosh Mehta came on for Anwar Ali late in the second half. He did well to defend once his team had the lead. He headed away a couple of dangerous crosses and held his ground.
F. Cardozo – 6/10
The South American replaced Cafu in the 65th minute and disposed of his duties well. It was an error-free performance for the Argentine centre-back.
Thiago Cunha – NA
Cunha came on just before added time to replace Norde making his ISL debut.
