ATK Mohun Bagan retain iconic green and maroon jersey
Football | July 10, 2020 17:19 ISTThe new entity will be known as ATK Mohun Bagan and the Mariners' historic 'sailing boat' logo will also remain barring the addition of ATK
The new entity will be known as ATK Mohun Bagan and the Mariners' historic 'sailing boat' logo will also remain barring the addition of ATK
Bhutia was referring to East Bengal's tie up with Quess Corp, who had a 70 per cent stake but made a premature exit, something that is mired in controversy
Led by chairman Sanjiv Goenka, who has acquired a majority 80 per cent stake in the century-old Mohun Bagan club, the Board will meet on July 10 to finalise the club's name, jersey and logo.
The Spaniard, who had guided them to the title in the inaugural ISL in 2014, was back at the helm at the start of 2019 following two tumultuous years, which witnessed four coaches with the team finishing ninth and sixth in the standings.
ATK rode Spanish midfielder Javi Hernandez's brace to defeat Chennaiyin FC 3-1 and grab their third title in a riveting closed-door final at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.
Javier Hernandez (10th) and Edu Garcia (48th) put ATK in the driving seat but Nerijus Valskis (69th) reduced their advantage to set up a tense end to the contest.
Owing to the current preventive measures advised by the Sports Ministry, league organisers Football Sports Development Limited (FSDL) has decided to hold the season's final behind closed doors.
In the driver's seat after winning the first leg 1-0, Bengaluru FC struck in the fifth minute for a vital away goal advantage through Ashique Kuruniyan, his first of the season, from a counter attack.
Deshorn Brown's opportunistic strike (31') proved to be the difference in what was a closely-fought first leg battle.
Bengaluru FC ended their league stage campaign with 30 points and could possibly finish fourth, should Chenniayin FC win their final league game against NorthEast United.
Having already qualified, ATK have their eyes on the AFC Champions League spot while Chennaiyin's eyes will be trained on a berth in the play-offs.
After a goal-less first-half, the star Fijian recruit virtually killed the contest in the space of 15 minutes as he struck in the 49th, 60th and 63rd minutes to take ATK past FC Goa at the top of the table on goal difference.
While the four teams for the ISL playoffs are almost certain, the battle has intensified for the race to clinch the AFC Champions League berth which will go to the table-toppers.
Jamshedpur have suffered four defeats in their last five outings and need to pick up as many wins as possible in their final five games to make it to the play-offs.
The contest seemed to be heading towards a goalless draw but Singh, who was brought in place of Edu Garcia after the regulation 90 minutes, stole the victory with a free header from a Javier Hernandez's curling corner in the 90+5th minute.
ATK are placed third on the table, three points behind league leaders FC Goa and a point shy of second-placed Bengaluru FC. They are fresh off a win against leaders Goa while NorthEast, placed ninth on the table, are on a seven-match winless run.
The high-voltage clash at the Salt Lake Stadium gained momentum only in the second-half when Pritam Kotal's rising header from a set piece opened it up for the hosts, smarting from their first loss at home to Kerala Blasters in the last round.
ATK goalkeeping coach Angel Pindado has been kept under suspension with immediate effect for his part in the incident which occurred during injury time of the match which Kerala Blasters had won 1-0.
Sourav Ganguly has said that the merger between ISL franchise ATK and I-League heavyweights Mohun Bagan is 'momentous' for Indian football.
ISL side ATK, on Thursday acquired 80 per cent stake in Mohun Bagan which will be rechristened as ATK-Mohun Bagan and will compete as one team from ISL 2020-21.
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