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ATK Mohun Bagan defeated Bengaluru FC 4-3 in a penalty shootout in the final of the ISL 2022-23 season to lift the trophy. It was a fitting finale to the tournament's latest season as the match saw pulsating action and the ultimate drama of a shootout.
It was the judgment day of the season, and two sides who had doubts if they could make it to the final, at the start, found themselves playing the all-important game.
ATK Mohun Bagan had played one final before as ATK Mohun Bagan in the 2020-21 season but lost to Mumbai City FC in that game. They do have three ISL trophies from when they were called ATK and they hoped for that experience to help them in winning the title.
Bengaluru FC had won the ISL title once and managed to finish runner-up once also.
Both sides have had the experience of the ISL finals and it wasn't something they would be experiencing for the first time.
Bengaluru FC made it to the final by defeating Mumbai City FC on penalties, while ATK Mohun Bagan came into the game by beating Hyderabad FC on penalties.
The match started on a very bad note for Bengaluru FC as they lost Siva Narayanan, their star performer this season, in the third minute due to an injury. Bengaluru FC were forced to make a change and Sunil Chhetri replaced Siva.
ATK Mohun Bagan were awarded a penalty in the 13th minute when Roy Krishna handled the ball inside the box after a corner. Dimitri Petratos scored from the spot to give the Mariners the lead in the 14th minute.
ATK Mohun Bagan looked to be the better side after taking the lead. Bengaluru FC failed to have a proper shot at goal as the Mariners kept their defense intact.
The Blues from Bangalore had a penalty appeal denied in the 27th minute when Pritam Kotal completely missed the ball and hit Roy Krishna who got to the ball first.
The match saw some harsh tackles being played as the game turned more physical with each passing moment.
Bengaluru FC were awarded a penalty in the 45th minute when Subhasish Bose tackled his former teammate Roy Krishna inside the box.
Sunil Chhetri made no mistake in giving the Blues the lead from the spot in the fifth minute of the first half's injury time.
The scoreboard at halftime read 1-1.
The second half saw the game turn into a physical battle. Both sides made some changes with the hope of gaining an advantage.
Roy Krishna gave Bengaluru FC the lead with a header from a Naorem Roshan Singh corner in the 78th minute.
ATK Mohun Bagan were awarded a dubious penalty in the 83rd minute when Kiyan Nassri was tripped by Pablo Perez outside the box.
Dimitri Petratos didn't fail to beat Gurpreet Singh from the spot for a second time during the game.
The scoreboard at full-time read 2-2, and the match went into extra time.
In extra time, both sides made some changes but failed to change the scoreboard. The match moved into a penalty shootout.
Bengaluru FC's Bruno Ramirez's effort was saved by Vishal Kaith and Pablo Perez saw his effort go above the crossbar. ATK Mohun Bagan didn't miss any kicks from the spot to secure the ISL trophy for the Mariners.
With this victory today, ATK Mohun Bagan won their first-ever ISL trophy.
On that note, let's take a look at the three things we learned from today's game
#3 A tale of penalties and referee decisions
The game saw three penalties being awarded during the 120 mins of football played. The game was also decided via a penalty shootout. Dimitri Petratos scored the two penalties ATK Mohun Bagan were awarded during the game. From the other side, Sunil Chhetri converted the lone penalty Bengaluru FC were awarded during the game.
Being the ISL finals, the stakes were high and the match saw its fair share of controversial referee decisions.
The first controversial decision came in the 27th minute when referee Harish Kundu didn't award a penalty to Bengaluru FC. This was after Roy Krishna was clearly tripped by Pritam Kotal inside the box.
The second controversial decision of the game, though, had a huge impact as the referee awarded ATK Mohun Bagan a penalty in the 83rd minute. Pablo's foul on Kiyan Nassri was clearly outside the box and the referee made a complete hash of things as he awarded the Mariners a penalty.
This decision turned the game on its head and even changed the entire complexion of the final and the result.
The match went into penalties, and ATK Mohun Bagan managed to secure the victory in the shootouts.
#2 Bengaluru FC failed to keep their nerves
Bengaluru FC have had a tremendous turnaround in 2023 as they went on a 10-game unbeaten run to reach the finals. In the final, though, they were dealt an early blow in the third minute when Siva Narayanan, their star performer this season, had to be substituted. This was due to a broken nose after a collision with Carl McHugh.
Bengaluru FC never really did recover from that setback. Roy Krishna made a sloppy mistake handling the ball inside his box from a corner in the 13th minute which helped the Mariners take the lead.
Pablo Perez made a bad mistake too by tripping Kiyan Nassri, which resulted in the Mariners being awarded a penalty.
Bengaluru FC also failed to keep their nerves in the shootout when Bruno Ramirez hit a poor shot which was saved by Vishal Kaith. Pablo Perez hit his shot above the crossbar to hand the title over to their opponents.
#1 ATK Mohun Bagan win their first-ever ISL title
ATK Mohun Bagan won their first-ever ISL title on Saturday. The Mariners didn't have the best of starts to the season under Juan Ferrando but managed to peak at the right time and secure their maiden title.
Fans were awarded a double delight as owner Sanjiv Goenka revealed that the side will remove ATK from their name and be known as Mohun Bagan Super Giants.
ATK Mohun Bagan showcased good football in the final and didn't let Bengaluru FC play their natural game. The Mariners forced the Blues into a physical battle, something which has always been their forte and it paid dividends.
They created more chances and had more shots on and off goal in the match compared to their opponents.
Overall, ATK Mohun Bagan won the game and the league with better quality, outfoxing their opponents tactically.
