ISL 2018-19: ATK vs NorthEast United FC 5 Talking Points

#3 ATK nearly pull off a Steve Coppell masterclass

ATK was on the cusp of playing a Steve Coppell masterclass of deep defending and seeing out a game with a point (Image Courtesy: ISL)

It was the 32nd minute of the game, and Sena Ralte received his marching orders from the referee after seeing his second yellow of the game.

ATK was down to ten men, and it wasn't even halftime. Steve Coppell made a change by bringing in Ricky the left back in place of Jayesh Rane which showcased his intentions of not losing the game.

From then on began a long spell of deep defending which saw ATK shut down shop and defend deep. The defenders John Johnson and Gerson Viera were superb throughout the game.

NorthEast United FC had 11 shots at goal, but only one on target and that speaks volumes of the way ATK defended deep and forced NEUFC to take those long rangers.

ATK despite being down to ten men had a couple of chances on their own, and they managed to keep three shots on target which is more than what NEUFC managed.

After being forced to play with ten men, ATK was on the cusp of playing a Steve Coppell masterclass of deep defending and seeing out a game with a point, but it wasn't their night as NorthEast United broke the deadlock in the 89th minute from a corner.