ISL 2015: Atletico de Kolkata 2-3 Mumbai City - 5 Talking Points

Mumbai City ended their Hero Indian Super League (ISL) campaign on a high after coming out on top in a five-goal thriller against Atletico de Kolkata at the Salt Lake stadium. Sony Norde's late winner gave Mumbai City a 3-2 win in a roller-coaster of a contest in Kolkata.The win ensured Mumbai Cityrose to sixth place in the standings until Pune City play their last game. The defeat left Atletico de Kolkata's top spot in the league vulnerable as the defending champions failed to extend their lead at the top. The game was a dead rubber but seemed anything but as both teams went hard for the three points right from the outset.Here are five talking points from the game at the Salt Lake Stadium.All images courtesy of ISL

#1 Mumbai City overcome travel woes to claim first away win

Mumbai City finally ended their away hoodoo and won an away game in the ISL for the first time. Ironically, the win came after the team faced various troubles in reaching Kolkata after being stuck in flooded Chennai for two days after their game.

Mumbai City only reached Kolkata in the morning today after a wretched time fighting the rain but they produced a fine performance on the field to finally end their away day hoodoo. The win meant Mumbai ended their season on a high and quite critically got the monkey off their back before the next season.

The dramatic victory also indicated what might have been for this Mumbai City side had they showed some consistency and a bit more fight early on in the season.

#2 Reality check for Atletico De Kolkata

Champions Atletico de Kolkata received a reality check ahead of the semi-finals as their long unbeaten run came to an end. Atletico did have chances to score more goals in the game, but the likes of Sameehg Doutie and Iain Hume weren’t at their best today.

The worrying thing for Habas, though, would be the ease with which Mumbai City got behind their defence and managed to breach them three times. However, Habas would now get another chance to iron out the few flaws in the Atletico side and get them ready for the semi-finals.

The defeat was Atletico’s third home defeat of the season, something that will concern the Spanish coach ahead of the semi-finals. The champions, who are certain to finish in the top two places, will play their second leg at home and Habas will be hoping his team doesn’t allow their uneven home form to surface in that game.

#3 Sony Norde - A shining light in a dark season for Mumbai City

Sony Norde has been a welcome addition to the Indian Super League and has by far been the best player in the Mumbai City side. The Mumbai outfit looked lacklustre whenever Norde was missing this season and the Haitian gave their attack a cutting edge.

Norde was superb once again today and Atletico just couldn’t live with him. He was a constant threat down Mumbai City's left flank and terrorized the Atletico defence all evening long. He kept his cool in front of the goal when it mattered the most giving Nicolas Anelka's men their first away win in the ISL.

Norde could well be in the running for the Team of the Season despite Mumbai City's failure to reach the semi-finals, thanks to some breath taking football the Haitian put on show this season. And he will now be looking to continue his form in the I-League as Mohun Bagan look to retain their crown.

#4 How vital are Arata Izumi\'s goals from midfield for Atletico?

Arata Izumi once again scored for Atletico de Kolkata and it seemed he had rescued a point for Antonio Habas' men late on until Sony Norde popped up with a winner. Izumi has netted five goals for the champions in just nine appearances and has often helped Atletico gain crucial points in matches.

While Iain Hume has been banging in goals for fun for the Kolkata outfit, Izumi has given Atletico an edge with his crucial goals from midfield. The teams that have won major championships have always had great goalscorers from midfield which propelled them to glory.

In Izumi, Atletico have a potent midfield weapon which could come very handy in the semi-finals. Izumi hasn't had any problems coming off the bench and scoring, giving Habas great flexibility in games.

#5 Subrata Pal\'s struggles

At the start of the season, if there was one department in the Mumbai City side which seemed to be secure was the goalkeeping department with the experienced Subrata Pal in goal. But it has been anything but for the veteran Indian goalkeeper as he has appeared shaky and vulnerable throughout the season.

Not helped by an inconsistent and a leaky defence, Pal has been found wanting, especially during the 7-0 hammering Mumbai Citysuffered in Goa where he parried too many shots in dangerous areas.

The Salgaocar goalkeeper has had nervous moments throughout the campaign and had two very uncomfortable moments in the first half against Kolkata when he came off his line to collect a cross and totally misjudged it. Luckily for him, Hume didnt have his scoring boots on and missed the target.

Pal has been fortunate on a few occassions during the course of the season where his errors have gone unpunished. But for a goalkeeper of his standards, his performance in this seasons ISL has been below par. With age catching up, one wonders whether the Spiderman of India will ever be the same again.