After winning both their Group D matches in the AFC Cup 2021 campaign, ATK Mohun Bagan FC are just one point away from securing their place in the Inter Zone Semi-final of the competition.
ATK were Hero Indian Super League champions in ISL-6 while Mohun Bagan won the I-League title in 19-2020, before the two entities merged to form ATK Mohun Bagan FC. ATKMB are placed in Group D along with Bangladesh’s Bashundhara Kings, Maziya Sports & Recreation Club of the Maldives and AFC Cup playoff winners Bengaluru FC.
Keeping the AFC Cup campaign in mind, ATKMB’s experienced Spanish coach Antonio Lopez Habas prompted the club management to undertake major signings that added attacking flair to the side. They signed the prodigiously talented 22-year old Goan forward Liston Colaco from Hyderabad FC. But the masterstroke was to lure away two key players- Hugo Boumous and goalkeeper Amrinder Singh, from Hero ISL-7 champions & League Shield winners Mumbai City FC.
French born Boumous is an attacking midfielder with prolific goal scoring and creative ability. His presence adds more options to the forward line that includes Fiji’s Roy Krishna and Australia’s David Williams, combining with Indian talents like Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco.
They have suffered a setback in terms defensive solidity, due to the move of ace Indian defender Sandesh Jhingan who recently signed a deal with the Croatian club – HNK Sibenik. Jhingan will become the first Indian footballer to play in the Croatian top flight league – Prva HNL.
In his absence, experienced central defensive midfielder Carl McHugh and Pritam Kotal have taken on the centre back responsibilities. It also gives a chance to another young defender Sumit Rathi to get more game time.
ATKMB beat Bengaluru FC 2-0 in their opening group match of the AFC Cup at the National Stadium in Male, in the Maldives. Then after being a goal down, they came from behind to win 3-1 against Maziya Sports & Recreation Club a couple of days ago, to go top of the table with 6 points.
Their last group match is versus Bashundhara Kings and a win or even a draw will see them top the group. Bashundhara Kings have 4 points from two games, and must win the match in order to upset ATKMB’s applecart and qualify ahead of them.
Heat and humidity will be a crucial factor in this match which will be played on Tuesday at 4.30 PM IST.
The top placed team of Group D representing the South Asia Zone will advance to the inter-zone semifinals, which will be played against the top team from the Central Asia Zone.
(The writer is a Sports Broadcaster who has worked on assignments for leading sports networks in India & Abroad. He is also commentating on the AFC Cup matches for a leading Sports Network in India).