Khalid Jamil and his men came back from behind to spoil ATK Mohun Bagan’s party late in injury time and that will surely give them the world of confidence going into the second leg.
Until the first drinks break it was cagey affair at the Bambolim as both sides couldn’t give their chances the much needed final touch. Roy Krishna displayed some super skills but ended up hitting the netting in the 24th minute.
After the first drinks break David Williams broke the deadlock that saw ATK Mohun Bagan lead 1-0 in the 34th minute. Northeast United came ever so close to score the equaliser just before half-time when Federico Gallego’s perfectly timed free-kick found Ashutosh Mehta who saw his header being ruled out by the crossbar.
The Mariners did try to get past the Highlanders’ backline but Khalid Jamil’s side kept things solid at the back. Northeast United were getting a set-piece every now and then as their opponents conceded silly fouls but they failed to capitalise on those dead balls.
Luis Machado intercepted the ball from Javi and straight away played it to Gallego. The Uruguayan’s through ball almost found Idrissa Sylla but Carl McHugh came in between and made the interception in the 79th minute.
ATK Mohun Bagan almost thought they sealed the game with another 0-1 victory until Idrissa Sylla popped up and spoiled their party. Luis Machado’s accurate cross into the box found Sylla who rose above everyone and guided the ball into the back of the net in the 93rd minute.
Hero of the Match: Gurjinder Kumar
Gurjinder Kumar displayed an all-around performance on the pitch against Mariners. He recorded two blocks, two successful tackles and an interception and also kept the attackers in check.