ISL 2022-23: ATK Mohun Bagan eclipses Kerala Blasters to seal playoff berth

ISL 2022-23: Matchday 21 happened on Saturday, with ATK Mohun Bagan hosting Kerala Blasters, as the former came up with a 2-1 winning performance to seal its place in the playoff.

Image credit: FSDL

The 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL) playoff race is down to an available spot after ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) came from behind, registering a 2-1 conquest versus Kerala Blasters (KBFC) at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday. ATKMB's victory lifted it to third place, dropping the Blasters to fifth and confirming its playoff qualification this season. After Dimitrios Diamantakos scored the opener, the Mariners were behind, but a Carl McHugh brace on either side of a Blasters red card completed the turnaround.

The meeting got off to an enthusiastic start, with ATKMB embracing Ashique Kuruniyan and Hugo Boumous back into the starting line-up. Within the opening five minutes, both players expressed their intent by recording an opening couple of cracks on goal for the hosts.

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KBFC was without the suspended Adrian Luna and added striker Apostolos Giannou to the starting line-up alongside Diamantakos. The duo had their chances, with Diamantakos splashing outside the net in the opening two minutes before Giannou's glaring header from Bryce Miranda's free-kick was held swiftly by Vishal Kaith.

In the 16th, Giannou was picked out inside the box with a through ball from Ivan Kaliuzhnyi. The striker played a one-touch pass into Diamantakos's path, and he fired it into the top-left corner. The authority lasted for seven minutes as Dimitri Petratos' alarming free-kick from the left was put in by McHugh in a close-range effort.

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Seven minutes into the subsequent half, easygoing defending from Nishu Kumar allowed Petratos to flog a good cross into the box. Manvir Singh advanced and headed the cross onto the upright before it was safely liberated. Five minutes later, Gill spilt a cross and practically entitled Petratos to score before Victor Mongil defended it to safety.

Minutes past the hour-mark to thwart an ATKMB counter-attack, Rahul KP dived into Ashique. Play carried on, but the official revisited the incident and displayed a second yellow for Rahul, as the Blasters were decreased to ten men. In the 71st, the match turned on its head. Asish Rai flogged the ball in from the right as Manvir buffered it into the path of McHugh, who slapped in his second of the contest with his boot's outside.

Image credit: FSDL

The cadence dropped after the Mariners took charge, and no powerful attacks were impending from the Blasters. With playoff qualification ensured, ATKMB will confidently move into the Kolkata derby on February 25. KBFC will conclude the ISL's league stage at home versus defending champion Hyderabad FC (HFC) on February 26.