Get all your news in one place.
100’s of premium titles.
One app.
Start reading
The Times of India
The Times of India
Sport
Biju Babu Cyriac | TNN

ATK Mohun Bagan dent BFC's hopes

BENGALURU: Former champions Bengaluru FC's hopes to rescue the season with a second straight win were dealt a serious blow by ATK Mohun Bagan as Australian striker Dimitrios Petratos 66th-minute strike propelled the Kolkata club to a 1-0 win at the Sree Kanteerava stadium here on Saturday.

BFC, who started the match after beating FC Goa away, found the going tough against a determined Bagan who effectively foiled the threat posed by Fijian striker Roy Krishna and BFC skipper Sunil Chhetri. Thousands of fans, who skipped the World Cup on television to watch their favourite teams, got some exciting action in the second half after a goalless first.

It was BFC, combining through Roy and Chhetri, who threatened first before former BFC player Ashique Kuruniyan did the spadework and set up Petratos who found space and time to fire past a diving Gurpreet Singh Sandhu.

BFC coach Simon Grayson now brought in his two young strikers Leon Augustine, who came in for Chhetri, and Siva Sakthi and the latter almost brought his team level in the 85th minute but his shot from close hit the crossbar.

In the first half, Kuruniyan served notice darting in through the left and firing in a floater. The ball was flying into the top corner but Sandhu fisted it away for a corner. The Kolkatans, who command a sizable fan following in the Garden City, again threatened in the 21st minute but this time Liston Colaco managed only a wayward header connecting a measured cross by Subhasish Bose.

ATK had the best chance to take the lead three minutes before the break but French medio Hugo Boumous fired just wide.

Result: Bengaluru FC 0 lost to ATK Mohun Bagan 1 (Petratos 66)

Sign up to read this article
Read news from 100’s of titles, curated specifically for you.
Already a member? Sign in here
Related Stories
Top stories on inkl right now
Our Picks
Fourteen days free
Download the app
One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.