KOCHI: After a mini-slump, ATK Mohun Bagan revived their Indian Super League campaign with a dramatic 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Fatorda on Thursday. A largely uneventful game came alive in the dying minutes with David Williams scoring the winner in the 90th minute while Chennaiyin's Enes Sipovic was denied an equaliser in injury-time thanks to a goal-line clearance from Tiri.
The win helps the Kolkata outfit go within just two points of league leaders Mumbai City while Chennaiyin remain sixth. The first half was a cagey affair and when Bagan is involved, the onus is on the opposition to try and take the initiative. Habas' men have scored just one goal in the first half of matches all season, and against Chennaiyin, they didn't change their strategy or approach much.
Chennaiyin who are missing the likes of Rafael Crivellaro and Anirudh Thapa also didn't light up the first half as chances were few and far between. The first chance of the game fell to Bagan's Edu Garcia who knocked a header into the path of Javier Hernandez. The Spaniard's first time volley was saved by Chennaiyin keeper Vishal Kaith. They had another opportunity when Manvir Singh raced down the right flank but couldn't pick out his strike partner Roy Krishna in the middle as the chance went begging. Chennaiyin's best attacking outlets were Lallinzuala Chhangte and Esmael Goncalves but they were lacking the services from the middle. Usually it is the likes of Crivellaro and Thapa who dictate the tempo of the game and link the play but they were struggling to threaten the Bagan defence.
The biggest problem for Bagan in recent matches has been their goal drought with their talismanic frontman Roy Krishna not having scored for a few games running. At the stroke of half-time, it was a case of both teams cancelling each other out as it ended goalless.
The second half followed a familiar pattern as the defences of both the sides stood tall. While the backline of Bagan marshalled by Sandesh Jhingan and Tiri kept the dangerous Esmael and Chhangte quiet, the centre-back pairing of Eli Sabia and Enes Sipovic for Chennaiyin managed to keep Krishna at bay for majority of the time.
In the 75th minute, Bagan nearly scored when a stunning free-kick from Hernandez was met with an equally sensational diving save by Kaith. Chennaiyin decided to push players forward in search of a goal in the final ten minutes of the game and the Bagan defence was put under immense pressure with crosses and long balls into the box.
Just when the game looked to be heading towards a draw, Williams turned the game on its head by heading in a corner in the 90th minute to get them out of jail.