ATK Mohun Bagan played out a thrilling 2-2 draw against Hyderabad FC in match no. 50 of the Indian Super League (ISL) on Wednesday. The match kicked off at the Pandit Jawaharlal Stadium in Fatorda, Goa.
Both the Mariners and the Nizams came into this match intending to secure a win to catapult themselves to the top of the ISL points table. However, things worked out very differently as the two sides kicked off the first half.
ATK Mohun Bagan surprisingly took the lead with just 12 seconds on the clock. A swift move from kick-off ended with the ball at David Williams' feet and the striker sent it past Laxmikant Kattimani in goal.
The goal seemed to be a wake up call for the Hyderabad FC players. Soon after the Mariners scored, the Nizams took control of the game. They pressed the Mariners high up the pitch, disrupting their build-up. This turned out to be fruitful for the Nizams as well.
They caught ATK Mohun Bagan's defense napping and found themselves an equalizer. Aniket Jadhav received the ball on the left flank and sent in a cross. Amrinder Singh failed to grab it and the ball fell at the feet of Bartholomew Ogbeche, who had no problem scoring from that distance.
The first half slowly turned into a battle of midfielders as both sides toyed around with possession in the middle of the park without any impact. ATK Mohun Bagan was forced to make a substitution. Midfielder Carl McHugh went down on the ground after a collision with Bartholomew Ogbeche and suffered a concussion. He was replaced by Joni Kauko.
ATK Mohun Bagan and Hyderabad FC end up with a point each
Coach Juan Ferrando brought on Lenny Rodrigues to replace Deepak Tangri in midfield at the start of the second half. Both sides made decent efforts to change the numbers on the scoresheet but failed to create an opportunity for themselves in front of goal.
Hyderabad FC introduced Sahil Tavora and Joel Chianese in place of Hitesh Sharma and Edu Garcia to change the way they attack.
Just before the cooling break in the second half, ATK Mohun Bagan scored their second goal. David Williams sent in a low cross that was initially met by Joni Kauko. But the ball hit Asish Rai's shin and ended up in the net as an own goal.
After the second goal, it seemed for a while that the Mariners would be taking home the win. But Hyderabad FC had other plans.
Both sides created opportunities at both ends to take the game in their favor but failed to convert any of their chances. But in the dying moments, Hyderabad FC substitute Javier Siverio got ahead of Tiri and put one in the net past Amrinder Singh in goal.
The draw against the Mariners put Hyderabad FC at the top of the league table.
Check out the ISL winners list here.