ATK managed to maintain their slender lead to hand Chennaiyin FC their fourth defeat of the season and climbed to the fourth spot on the table.
ATK beat Chennaiyin FC 2-1 in a fifth-round Indian Super League (ISL) clash on Friday at the Salt Lake Stadium, Kolkata.
Kalu Uche (3′) and John Johnson (13′) were on target to confirm crucial three points for the Kolkata side. Carlos Salom scored the consolation goal for the Super Machans.
Steve Coppell made just one change in ATK’s starting XI. Uche who had suffered a hamstring injury just before the match against Jamshedpur FC last Sunday, was back in the starting lineup replacing Noussair El Maimouni.
John Gregory, on the other hand, decided to field an unchanged lineup which managed a 1-1 draw in their last match against Delhi Dynamos.
ATK drew first blood as early as in the third minute of the match when Kalu Uche found the back of the net. Karanjit Singh’s half-hearted goal kick was intercepted by Gerson Vieira at the centre of the pitch who headed the ball towards an unmarked Kalu Uche. Uche converted an easy chance to put East Bengal in front.
Uche came close to score yet again in the 11th minute as he tried to slot the ball home from Manuel Lanzarote’s curling low ball. This time Karanjit did a fine job in stopping Uche’s shot from a very close range.
The home team doubled their lead in the 13th minute of the match via John Johnson’s header. The tall English defender headed the ball in from Manuel Lanzarote’s free-kick.
Chennaiyin came back strongly in the match after two early jolts from ATK as they pulled one back in the 17th minute. Francis Fernandes dribbled past Ricky Lallawmawma on the right flank and curled a cross inside the box which was headed in by Palestinian international Carlos Salom.
ATK remained in front by a slender margin after the first 45 minutes of the match.
Chennaiyin looked hungry for an equaliser as the second half kicked off. Carlos Salom could have equalised in the 56th minute when he took advantage of a sloppy defending by John Johnson.
The English defender mistimed a clearance inside the box and the Chennaiyin forward snatched the ball away from him and was one on one with Arindam Bhattacharya. But Salom’s shot from a difficult angle went wide.
John Gregory brought in Gregory Nelson and Jeje Lalpekhlua in the final 15 minutes of the match as he desperately wanted a second goal for his side. Nelson came close to scoring in the 79th minute as he attempted a header at goal from Thoi Singh’s cross. But Arindam did well to keep the ball out of the goal.
ATK could have further increased their lead in the dying moments of the match when Jayesh Rane went past two Chennaiyin defenders as he entered the penalty box from the right side and squared the ball to Kalu Uche. Uche tried to lob the ball but it went above the crossbar.
Steve Coppell’s side move up to the fourth position in the league table after tonight’s win with seven points from five matches. Chennaiyin’s problems further aggravate after yet another defeat as they have one point from five games.
