Doutie and Hume lead ATK comeback as defending champions conquer Chennai at home
TWO DELIGHTFUL STRIKES from Sameehg Doutie and Iain Hume saw Atletico de Kolkata fight back from a one goal deficit to claim a 2-1 victory over Chennaiyin FC at the Salt Lake Stadium tonight.
Coming off a draw against Delhi away from home, ATK coach decided to make two changes to the starting line up: Arata Izumi and Arnab Mondal got back into the team, dropping Jewel Raja and Nalappan Mohanraj. Marquee Helder Postiga didn't make the team despite rumours of him being fit to play, and new signing Degan Lekic started from the bench.
Chennaiyin FC, who came into the game with the onus to break out of their bottom table status, made five changes to the side that lost to NorthEast United at home. Alessandro Potenza, Manuele Blasi, Fikru Teferra and Harmanjot Khabra came back into the team's outfield, while Materazzi decided to use Karanjit Singh at goal; choosing a 4-4-1-1 line-up with Fikru as the target man with Elano just behind him.
The visitors were determined to bounce back and it showed in their game from the first minute. They played a cautious game, hardly allowing much room in their defence, while their midfield was doing well to push the attacking agenda.
An early free kick saw Elano send a dangerous bender into the ATK box. Amrinder rushed out to interfere as Alves readied to make the header; but he was caught offside and the danger was averted.
Things were not looking so well for the home team as they kept losing the ball around the midfield. Their defenders were tackling and blocking all over the place to keep things level. Tiri pulled off a similar block on Elano who took the shot not far from the penalty box. The ball went to Thoi Singh who couldn't do much either.
Then near the half hour mark Fikru and Raphael combined to make inroads into the ATK box. Raphael shook off two tackle attempts and took the shot; Amrinder fell short. Chennaiyin FC were 1-0 ahead, and in control.
ATK, under pressure now, began a comeback struggle. A good ball from Tiri found Hume who managed to pass it to Sameehg Doutie whose advance towards the goal was stopped by a sliding Dhanachandra Singh.
But Doutie continued being a nuisance for Chennaiyin FC. Next minute he earner a corner. The resulting corner kick, which he took himself, forced Karanjit to come forward to attempt a clearance but he couldn't reach it. But luckily the situation didn't get out of hand.
Minutes later Fikru, in possession, broke the ATK defensive line but his poor finishing move went straight to the keeper. Kolkata immediately countered, with a cross from Arata finding Hume inside the box but the Canadian striker's header was just above the crossbar.
But mere seconds before the first half was to end, the defending champions finally got their break-through. It was a free kick by Borja Fernandez that Karanjit did great to punch away. The ball ended up with Sameehg Doutie who was standing just outside the penalty box, bang in the middle but with a forest of legs in front of him. He took the shot, fast and low. The ball went through the restless limbs like a cat running through a bush. And it managed to evade everyone and ended up at the back of the net. Atletico de Kolkata were even. The half ended 1-1.
In the second half Chennaiyin went on the offensive early. They came into the field with Lalhmangaihsanga Ralte replacing Dhanachandra Singh, and an early pass from goal-scorer Raphael to Elano saw the Chennaiyin marquee take a shot from scoring range just miss the bar.
But soon ATK began a counter onslaught. A run from Iain Hume saw the Chennai defenders lose track of the striker. It was a slick save from Karanjit that kept the visitors level.
But within 5 minutes of that, Iain Hume scored. It was Sameehg Doutie who built the move, running up the right flank and sending in a pin-point cross into the box which a sliding Hume managed to flick with perfect timing. Karanjit was beaten. The ball went spiralling into the goal. Atletico had made a comeback: after going down by a goal they were now firmly in the lead. 2-1.
A lot of substitutions followed the goal as both coaches sought to shake things up. Habas replaced Arata with Jewel Raja, while Materazzi needed more thrust up front to chase the game now; so he sent in Jeje Lalpekhlua and Bruno Pelissari to replace Thoi Singh and Elano.
Goalscorer Raphael was still trying things. Once as he invaded the box he went down under pressure from Rino Anto. The Chennai players shouted for penalty but the referee turned them down.
As the clocked ticked on, pressure built on Chennaiyin and they ended up making a few goof-ups. Fikru Teferra, perhaps unsurprisingly, earned a yellow after knocking down a defender while awaiting an aerial ball inside the ATK box. Then newly introduced substitute Bruno Pelissari went down near the ATK penalty box but referee booked him, too, for diving.
Towards the end, Habas decided to give his new signing Dejan Lekic a run around and brought him on for Iain Hume. The home team maintained enough control over the game to keep the opponent at bay till the end. It was a convincing 2-1 win for ATK.
For Materazzi, a loss tonight could hardly have been out of the equation. But ending up without a point after the way they had started will be a major disappointment. The defeat also seals their status as the bottom table team; they sit on 10 points from 10 matches, a point behind Kerala Blasters. It's not quite the end of the road but they are definitely approaching a do or die situation. To ensure they qualify for the semi-finals they must win 3 of their remaining 4 regular season matches.
Lucky for them, they now have 3 back to back home matches against Kerala, Delhi and Mumbai. There are positives to be taken from tonight's performance; Materazzi will have to work on the team's consistency and defensive stability; the way the ATK attackers were finding space around the penalty box ultimately did them in.
Just like Chennai, Atletico de Kolkata, too, are looking at a run of home games. Tonight was the first of their 4 back to back home matches. They will face Goa, Pune and Mumbai next; which is why Habas will be thankful for the 3 points his team picked up tonight. They are now on 17 points from 11 matches; second on the table. The defending champions are very close to securing a semi-final spot; but Goa and Pune are tough teams to face; and a couple of losses can screw things up. Which is why Habas must help his team keep things in perspective.
The performance tonight was fulfilling in many ways. Chennai, even though they are presently at the bottom, are not a bad team and it showed in the way they played early on. But credit to ATK in the way they reclaimed lost ground. Both the goals they scored were high quality strikes, and the defence did well to keep Amrinder protected from Elano & boys for the most of the game. But it was the midfield where they won the game. It is here that they slowly turned the tide and then diffused Chennai's intentions for the last third of the game. Sameehg Doutie had his best game yet for the franchise and was rightly awarded the Hero of the Match award.
After such an all-round performance, the fans can hope. The team has faltered many times this season but they look like they're ready to make another title push. The ISL points table, after weeks of close competition, is finally showing some polarity, and Atletico de Kolkata are definitely coming out on the right end of it.
