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ATK Mohun Bagan narrowed the gap with Mumbai City FC at the top of the table after picking up a 2-0 win over Bengaluru FC in their 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) encounter at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.
The Mariners now have 33 points from 16 matches, with 10 wins and 3 draws. Mumbai City FC have just one point more than ATK Mohun Bagan after playing the same number of matches. The race for top spot is hotting up as the ISL league stage winners get an opportunity to play in the AFC Champions League.
The two sides will lock horns in the last league stage match of the tournament. Sergio Lobera previously remarked that he wanted Mumbai City FC to have four points more than ATK Mohun Bagan before their encounter. Reacting to comments made by Lobera, Habas quipped:
"For me too, it's obviously the same opinion. I too want four points more than them before the last match."
Before the match, ATK Mohun Bagan had scored just two of their twenty goals in the first half. However, against Bengaluru FC, both goals came before the referee blew the half-time whistle.
In the 37th minute, Roy Krishna sent Bengaluru FC's goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu the wrong way and slammed the ball into the top corner from the penalty spot. Seven minutes later, ATK Mohun Bagan's January signing Marcelinho perfectly bent his free-kick above the wall to score the second goal.
"Football is about ninety minutes. Maybe, in the previous matches, we didn't score goals in the first forty-five minutes. But today, I want to say the team played a fantastic match. We controlled the ball. I am proud of the players," Habas said.
ATK Mohun Bagan coach Antonio Lopez Habas heaps praise on Marcelinho
This was Marcelinho's third match of the season for ATK Mohun Bagan after the Brazilian made the transfer in January. He has already scored two goals for the Mariners.
"We tried to recover Marcelinho in another season. He's a good and clever player. We have to use his abilities in the team. This is the idea. He has absolute commitment and he scored (today)," Habas concluded.
ATK Mohun Bagan will square-off against Jamshedpur FC on February 14th at the same venue in their next ISL encounter.
