FC Nasaf 6 ATK Mohun Bagan 0. The nightmare could not have come in a more terrible fashion for ATK Mohun Bagan, whose dream for making the AFC Cup inter-zonal final was dashed in spectacular fashion on Wednesday.
Once Pritam Kotal conceded an own goal in the fourth minute, FC Nasaf opened the floodgates with so much ferocity that Antonio Lopez Habas’s players were simply blown away from the contest at the Markaziy Stadium.
For the first time in Mohun Bagan and ATK’s combined history, the team conceded five goals in the first 45 minutes during which teenager Khusain Norchaev completed his hat-trick and Oybek Bozorov added another to the tally. Sherzod Narzullaev wrapped it up with the final goal in the 71st minute.
Add to this Nasaf’s jamboree those opportunities which went abegging — a missed penalty, a couple of shots denied by the woodwork and at least three chances squandered with goalkeeper Amrinder Singh to beat, ATK Mohun Bagan might feel lucky enough to have been spared of a bigger humiliation.
It is not that Indian teams did not face humiliation in the hands of Asian teams earlier. In fact this same Uzbekistan side hammered Dempo SC 9-0 in an AFC Cup match in 2011, the last time an Indian club conceded five goals inside the opening half.
However, the way ATK Mohun Bagan lost the plot right from the very first minute, then panicked and eventually catapulted under FC Nasaf’s relentless attack, was simply calamitous. The air of expectation which accompanied the team going the match vanished in no time. The ISL finalists simply didn’t have any defence to check the floodgates nor any discipline to give the contest the semblance of any fight.
It was perhaps the nadir of two-time ISL champion Habas’s reign since his arrival in Indian football seven years ago. The result must put plenty of heat on the Spanish coach, bringing his strategy and preparation for the match under scanner.
Joni Kauko was predictably given the much-anticipated debut but it turned out to be a horrible experience for the Finnish international. FC Nasaf were known to be team flourishing on wing-play but little did they realize that their march to the inter-zonal final would be so smooth as Habas’s defensive preparation in dealing with such threats disappeared and dissolved into a capitulation.
A unsteady back-four, no midfield cohesion, no protection around the flanks, no shot on goal in the entire match and the likes of Roy Krishna and David William forced to retreat mostly for defending told the story of the Kolkata side.
The torment started with Pritam’s own goal in the fourth minute while dealing with the hosts’ second corner of the game, which soon turned into a dreadful dream for the visitors.
ATK Mohun Bagan briefly attempted to make a match of it and when debutant Joni Kauka teed up with Roy Krishna and David Williams twice looking to test the rival box. However the little promise shown in those transitory moments faded into disillusionment as Nasaf ran rings around the opponents in wild frenzy.
As Nasaf laid seize to the ATKMB box, one cross after another hit the area and the home team made fun of the opponents reeling under a nervous breakdown.
The 19-year-old Norchaev completed his hat-trick scoring in 18, 21 and 31 minutes before Oybek Bozorov made it 5-0 on the cusp of halftime. In between, Bozorov Missed a penalty after Pritam brought down Bakhrom inside the box.
In the end, it was fun for FC Nasaf but a nightmare for ATK Mohun Bagan.
