In the final act of the season for Indian football, there was plenty of drama.
At the end of it all, ATK Mohun Bagan got the better of Hyderabad FC via penalty shootout and qualified for the preliminary stage of the AFC Cup. The playoff finished in a 1-1 draw here on Wednesday.
Both goals came in normal time. Before the extra time got underway, Hyderabad’s coach Manalo Marquez was given a red card. So he had to watch the rest of what was his last match with the club from the stands.
And his players failed to give a perfect parting gift to him, as they made a mess of the penalty kicks. They missed three and could convert only one. As for ATK MB, it was the team’s third win of the season in a shootout.
It was Hyderabad that looked more likely to score, as it pressed forward, created chances and shot towards the ATK MB goal at regular intervals. But, it was the Kolkatan side that scored first, much against the run of play.
From the right flank, Hugo Boumous cut into the box and gave a fine pass to Dimitrios Petratos, who slammed the ball into the back of the net. But, shortly before the interval, Hyderabad equalised through Joel Chianese, who pushed the assist from Borja Gonzalez, from inside the box, gently into the bottom corner of the post.
The result: ATK Mohun Bagan 1 (Dimitrios Petratos 20) drew with Hyderabad FC 1 (Joel Chianese 44). ATK MB won 3-1 on penalties.
