ATK Mohun Bagan vs Kerala Blasters FC: Carl McHugh's brace secures a victory and ISL 2022-23 playoff berth for the Mariners

ATK Mohun Bagan scripted a tedious 2-1 victory over Kerala Blasters at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata on Saturday, February 18, to secure a berth in the ISL 2022-23 knockout stage

Despite scoring early, the Yellow Army fell victim to a brace from Carl McHugh and recklessness from their own Rahul KP.

Coming into the fixture, Kerala Blasters suffered a massive blow with Sahal Abdul Samad missing out from the squad. But electrifying Bryce Miranda replaced Sahal on the left flank.

Right from the start, the wide players and forwards looked in sync for the visitors and ultimately it didn't take long for them to break the deadlock. In the 16th minute itself, Ivan Kaliuzhnyi played a delicious no-look pass to find Apostolos Giannou, who laid off the ball for Dimitris Diamantakos inside the box. The Greek forward hammered it home from the edge of the box to complete an exquisite build-up play from the team.

ATK Mohun Bagan were left stunned and with a playoff berth still far from secured, Juan Ferrando's team needed to string together a response. Cheered on by the crowd at the Salt Lake Stadium, the Green and Maroon Brigade restored parity after seven minutes. Dimitri Petratos whipped in an inch-perfect cross from a set-piece situation and Carl McHugh, helped by some poor marking from Victor Mongil, turned the ball home.

Minutes after the goal, the encounter turned a little feisty as Rahul KP was booked for a clumsy challenge on Hugo Boumous. But eventually, with the scores leveled, both sides opted for a cautious approach until the referee blew the half-time whistle.

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Carl McHugh's stunning strike seals the victory for ATK Mohun Bagan against Kerala Blasters

With three points required to secure a playoff berth, ATK Mohun Bagan had to start the second half with great intensity. But in a major blow, Juan Ferrando had to sub out Hugo Boumous, who was not up to scratch. Federico Gallego replaced the Spaniard.

The Mariners weren't seemingly affected by the substitution as they almost took the lead in the 52nd minute. Petratos outmuscled Nishu Kumar down the left flank before drilling a peach of a ball into the opposition box. Manvir Singh sneaked in between Victor Mongil and Ruivah Hormipam and rose the highest for the header. But his effort grazed the far post and was eventually cleared away.

Kerala Blaster's second half was enveloped in misery as they almost conceded from a defensive mix-up between Prabhsukhan Singh Gill and Victor Mongil. Although they managed to come away scathed in the first instance, in the 64th minute, Rahul KP picked up his second yellow card of the night and was given the marching orders.

Down to 10 men now, more blues awaited the Yellow Army as the hosts finally pulled ahead in the 71st minute. Asish Rai whipped a cross into the box for Manvir Singh, who set it up neatly for a volley and Carl McHugh didn't need a second invitation. The Irishman ripped an outside-of-the-boot effort and the ball nestled into the net to give the Mariners the lead.

As the minutes rolled by, it became evident that the strike would end up being the goal that secures a knockout berth for the Mariners. Ivan Vukomanovic opted for a few fresh legs, but with the man disadvantage and lack of ambition from his players, Kerala Blasters slumped to a second consecutive defeat.

Although the Blasters are currently fifth in the standings and have secured a playoff berth, their form away from home will concern Vukomanovic. Meanwhile, the Kolkata giants are now third in the standings.