ATK Mohun Bagan Claim Maiden ISL Title with Penalty Shootout Victory over Bengaluru FC
ATK Mohun Bagan clinched their first Indian Super League (ISL) title with a 4-3 victory over Bengaluru FC in a penalty shootout after the two sides ended the match 1-1 at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Saturday. First Half Drama
In a first half that saw two spot kicks awarded to either side, Dimitri Petratos put ATK Mohun Bagan in the lead with a penalty in the 34th minute. However, Bengaluru FC’s Sunil Chhetri scored in the final kick of the half to equalize the match. Second Half Thrills
After the break, Roy Krishna’s field goal gave Bengaluru FC the lead in the 57th minute. But, Petratos scored his second penalty of the match in the 85th minute to take the game to extra time.
Penalty Shootout Drama
With no goals in extra time, the match was decided by penalties. Bengaluru FC started off proceedings with Alan Costa scoring from his spot-kick, but ATKMB’s Petratos answered back with his third penalty, beating Gurpreet Singh Sandhu all three times. Krishna scored for the Blues, but ATKMB’s Lenny Rodrigues managed to beat Sandhu to level the shootout.
Vishal Kaith was the hero of the penalty shootout, saving Bengaluru’s Bruno’s attempt to put ATKMB in front. Kiyan Nassiri then converted his penalty to give ATKMB a 3-2 lead. Chhetri scored off his attempt in the shootout, but Manvir Singh’s successful penalty and Erik Paartalu’s miss meant that ATK Mohun Bagan were crowned the ISL champions for the first time in their history.
Celebrations for ATK Mohun Bagan
ATK Mohun Bagan players and fans alike were overjoyed with the victory, with head coach Antonio Lopez Habas praising his side’s character and resilience after the match. The Mariners had finished second in the league stage but put in an impressive display to overcome Bengaluru FC, who had won the ISL twice before.
The win was a fitting end to a gruelling ISL season that saw ATK Mohun Bagan play 29 matches in total, and they will now look to build on this triumph in the coming years.
