KOCHI: ATK Mohun Bagan are among the few teams in the Indian Super League who can win matches from hopeless situations as demonstrated in their 3-2 win against Kerala Blasters at the Fatorda Stadium in Margao on Sunday.
Trailing 2-0, they scored three goals in the second half to secure a win that has helped them trim the gap to Mumbai City to just three points with the race for the ISL shield back on.
New signing Marcelinho (59) and Roy Krishna (65, 87) who is probably their most valuable player scripted a spectacular comeback after Blasters were leading through goals from Gary Hooper (14) and Costa Nhamoinesu (51).
Blasters meanwhile languish at ninth in the table and their four-match unbeaten run has been snapped.
The last time these two teams met was in the opening game of the new season. Kibu Vicuna was new at the helm and the Spaniard's team tried to play out from the back which played into Antonio Habas' hands.
This time out, the Kerala outfit looked more adaptable and were happy not to hold onto the ball or be rigid in their play. In the first half, they were in total control and more importantly, they managed to score which has been one of their biggest struggles this season.
Their English forward Gary Hooper scored a wonder-goal in the 14th minute. The goal came about when Blasters rightback Sandeep Singh swung a ball into the striker's path.
Hooper chested it down and volleyed it into the net from close to 40 yards out past Bagan keeper Arindam Bhattacharja. The Kochi-based outfit finished the half as the stronger side as they had more shots on target.
Blasters couldn't have asked for a better start to the second half as they doubled their lead in the 51st minute through a corner.
Sahal Abdul Samad whipped in the ball which was knocked into the path of Costa Nhamoinesu by Rahul KP. The Zimbabwean's initial header was stopped by Arindam but the centre-back slammed the rebound into the net. Being 2-0 down in the 51st minute, it looked like Bagan were down and out but they launched a spectacular fightback that stunned the Blasters.
Marcelinho brought them back into the game in the 59th minute when he chipped the ball over Albino after getting on the end of a pass from substitute Manvir Singh.
Blasters shot themselves in the foot just six minutes later when they conceded a penalty after Jessel Carneiro was adjudged to have handled the ball inside the box.
Roy Krishna hit the penalty with such venom that despite Albino getting a hand to it, the ball was in the back of the net. Krishna then landed the sucker punch as he pounced on a defensive lapse from Blasters to score the winner in the 87th minute. After Costa failed to win a header close to the Blasters penalty box, Sandeep couldn't clean up with a clearance as Krishna stole the ball and curled it past Albino.
There was a tense finish to the game as a melee broke out between the two sets of players and there was a series of yellow cards being flashed around as Blasters suffered a meltdown.