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Bengaluru FC went down by a disappointing 0-2 margin against ATK Mohun Bagan in the 88th match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) season at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao, Goa. Individual mistakes in the first-half let Roy Krishna and Marcelinho get on the score-sheet, and the away team were always going to be difficult to break down after that.
Bengaluru FC started the game on a lively note by stringing a few nice passes but they didn't do enough to concern ATK Mohun Bagan. At the other end, Marcelinho made a fantastic run in the 7th minute but his shot from an acute angle was easily saved by Gurpreet.
Bengaluru FC winger Udanta Singh put in a decent cross that Arindam Bhattacharja spilled, but luckily for ATK Mohun Bagan, Prabir Das headed it out for a corner. Thereafter, the Blues got very clumsy as they started to concede possession with alarming frequency.
Gurpreet was called into action once again when Roy Krishna received a long ball and raced to the box but the Fijian's shot was too straight to beat the keeper. ATK Mohun Bagan only continued to grow into the game as Carl McHugh's effort from distance forced a save out of Gurpreet.
It was only a matter of time before Bengaluru FC conceded, and it happened when Pratik Chaudhari’s poor defending saw him give away a penalty in the 36th minute. Marcelinho lost the ball to Pratik in the midfield area but a poor touch helped Roy Krishna steal the ball and enter the box. Unable to deal with Krishna’s pace, Pratik pushed the ATK Mohun Bagan forward in a very tame manner and this meant that referee Rowan Arumughan pointed to the spot. Krishna slotted the penalty and unsurprisingly put his side ahead.
ATK Mohun Bagan doubled their lead in the 44th minute with Brazilian Marcelinho curling a free-kick past Gurpreet. There should have been a penalty for the Mariners as Harmanjot Khabra brought down David Williams inside the box but the referee awarded a free-kick just outside the area. The decision didn’t matter when Marcelinho turned back the clock with a perfectly executed free-kick.
The second-half didn’t see any change as Gurpreet was required to produce another fantastic save from a corner-kick. David Williams’ delivery was initially cleared by Khabra but the ball fell for Sandesh Jhingan who struck it on the volley. Luckily for Bengaluru FC, Gurpreet was alert and pushed the ball away for another corner. The all-round Krishna then played a superb through ball inside left-back Ajith Kumar but Manvir Singh couldn’t manage to beat Gurpreet with a strike at the near post.
Bengaluru FC grew in frustration as the game progressed, with Sunil Chhetri fouling Lenny Rodrigues after being nutmegged by the midfielder. Chhetri also got a half-chance inside the box but Jhingan came to ATK Mohun Bagan’s rescue with a diving block. The free-scoring Krishna also got opportunities to add to his tally but he failed to find the target. Bengaluru FC skipper Chhetri had one more chance in the dying minutes of the game only to see Arindam Bhattacharja produce a very fine low save. Eventually, the clinical ATK Mohun Bagan side sealed a 2-0 victory after outplaying their opponents for the entire game.
Who was the Hero of the Match?
On loan from Odisha FC, Marcelinho bagged the 'Hero of the Match’ award for a fantastic creative performance. The ISL veteran posed a constant threat to Bengaluru FC’s defense right from the whistle. After testing Gurpreet Singh Sandhu very early on, the 33-year-old was involved in ATK Mohun Bagan’s first goal as it was his pass that was missed by Pratik Chaudhari.
Later on, he showed his quality from dead-ball situations by coming up with a fantastic free-kick for the side’s second goal. Apart from his involvement in the goals, Bengaluru FC found it hard to limit Marcelinho's pace and trickery.
