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Delhi Dynamos and ATK served up a delightful game which had goals written all over it. The Dynamos were 1-3 down at one stage but they managed to complete a memorable comeback to win the encounter 4-3 and leapfrog ATK to the eighth position on the ISL table.
Playing for pride, both sets of players gave their best to ensure that the inconsequential tie didn't end up being a dampener. Let's take a look at the talking points from the game:
#1 Robbie Keane's class is permanent
The Irishman has had to deal with injury problems all throughout the season but every time he has taken the pitch, ATK has looked a different outfit. The striker was at the top of his game on Saturday scoring two goals which one thought was enough for the Kolkata-based team to win the encounter, however, Delhi had other ideas.
With the match tied at 1-1, Keane calmly converted a free-kick from the edge of the box and then tapped in a ball which was spilled by the Delhi custodian to make the scoreline 3-1.
Keane might be on the wrong side of 30 but his goal-scoring instincts are still intact. ATK would have been better served had the striker been able to stay fit throughout the campaign.
#2 Mbatha takes everyone by surprise
South African midfielder Sibongakonke Mbatha who was playing his first ISL game had an excellent outing. He was present everywhere, running up and down the entire length of the pitch during the whole duration of the match.
Mbatha was the shortest man on the pitch today, but his skills would have dwarfed a lot of players on any given day. He was involved in two of ATK’s three goals and combined brilliantly with Keane up front.
ATK’s first goal came as a result of Mbatha’s cross which was aimed at Keane but it took a deflection off Gabriel Cichero and deceived the goalkeeper to end up in the net.
The South African also had a hand in Keane’s second goal as he won the ball at the half line, charged towards goal and took a shot at Xabi Irureta who spilled the ball and Keane was at hand to tap it in.
#3 Uche means goals
Kalu Uche has surely been the highlight of Delhi’s underwhelming season. On Saturday night he scored two more goals to increase his tally to 10 and moved to the third position in the top goal-scorers' list.
He gave Delhi the lead in the first half when Anwar Ali failed to clear a cross in the box and then found the back of the net again in the second as he tapped in a Seityasen Singh pass from point-blank range. It’s a pity that a striker who has scored so many goals won’t be seen in the playoffs of the tournament.
#4 Mirabaje's golden strike
Just when it looked like we had seen enough action for the night, Delhi Dynamos scored a winner in injury time, courtesy Matias Mirabaje to complete a memorable comeback.
After a good build-up play, Manuel Arana put a through ball in the box which found Uche who placed it on the plate for Mirabaje to slot the ball at the far post beyond Soram Poirei’s reach.
Mirabaje couldn’t hold back his tears after the full-time whistle which showed how much this goal meant to him. A team which was trailing 1-3 till the 58th minute would have been more than happy with a draw but Mirabaje ensured that they went home with all three points.
#5 Inconsequential match becomes entertaining
Delhi Dynamos and ATK were out of the playoff race long back but they dished out one of the most entertaining games of the season which saw seven goals being scored.
The fact that none of the teams are in the reckoning to progress further in the tournament might have given that extra room of freedom to the players as both outfits pressed for a win during the entire stretch of the game.
Often these kind of inconsequential matches turn out to be boring because both sets of players are generally demotivated after a lengthy campaign, but Saturday’s story was completely different as the fans got what they wanted to witness.
