ATK edge out Delhi in seven-goal thriller to book semi-final spot

by FC Admin April 6, 2019

ATK held on by the skin of their teeth to overcome Delhi Dynamos FC 4-3 in a thrilling Hero Super Cup 2019 quarter-final tie at the Kalinga Stadium in Bhubaneswar on Friday. Both teams created plenty of chances but ATK finally came out on top, courtesy of a scintillating hat-trick by striker Balwant Singh.

With the victory, ATK move on to the final four of the competition and will take on the winner of the NorthEast United FC vs Chennaiyin FC match on Sunday in the semi-finals.

Mohammed Sajid Dhot gave Delhi the lead on the 15th minute, but Balwant Singh restored parity eight minutes later.
Manuel Lanzarote scored to put ATK in front on the 28th minute, before Balwant made it 3-1 on the 34-minute mark.
Daniel Lalhlimpuia pulled a goal back for Delhi almost instantly to set up an intriguing second half.
Balwant completed his hat-trick and restored ATK’s two-goal cushion on the 51st minute.
Delhi clawed their way back into the match with a deflected strike from Nandhakumar Sekar on the 72nd minute but couldn’t find their all-important fourth goal to enforce Extra Time.
ATK head coach Steve Coppell sprung a surprise in his team selection, opting to hand Everton Santos a start in place of Edu Garcia. Delhi boss Josep Gombau, on the other hand, fielded a strong starting XI featuring the likes of Lallianzuala Chhangte, Nandhakumar Sekar, Gianni Zuiverloon, Marti Crespi, Marcos Tebar and Ulises Davila.

Delhi had the first big chance of the match within four minutes as Narayan Das found Nandhakumar unmarked inside the ATK box. The winger tried a first-time volley but couldn’t quite get the connection he was looking for.

ATK responded with a big opportunity of their own just a couple of minutes later as former Delhi skipper Pritam Kotal steamed down the right flank and picked out Manuel Lanzarote with a brilliant cross. The Spaniard managed to beat Delhi custodian Albino Gomes with a flicked header but the effort was inches wide of the goal.

The chances set the trend for the match, with both teams creating ample opportunities to score in what was turning out to be an end-to-end affair. The first goal finally came on the 15th minute through a set-piece. Delhi won a free-kick on the left-hand side of the ATK box and Adria Carmona delivered a pinpoint ball for Mohammed Sajid Dhot to head in at the far post.

The Lions could have doubled the lead seconds later when Daniel Lalhlimpuia held off Andre Bikey and took a crack at goal. The shot was on target and it took a good save from Debjit Majumdar to keep the scoreline unaltered.

ATK toiled hard for a quick equaliser and were rewarded on the 23rd minute. Pronay Halder won the ball in midfield and squared it to Lanzarote. The ATK skipper looked up and threaded in a lovely through ball for Balwant Singh. The striker timed his run well to beat Delhi’s offside trap and slotted the ball past an indecisive Gomes to draw ATK level.

Five minutes later, the Kolkata-based side struck again and took the lead. After playing a precise one-two with Jayesh Rane, Lanzarote found himself with space inside the Delhi box. The Spaniard took a couple of touches to set himself up and side-footed in from a tight angle to make it 2-1 in ATK’s favour. On the 34th minute, Balwant scored his second of the night with a bullet of a shot to extend ATK’s lead. Jayesh was the provider yet again.

It seemed that ATK might be running away with the match, but Daniel had other ideas. The nippy striker showed good reflexes to get on the end of a deflected Chhangte cross and pulled a goal back for the Lions. The referee brought an end to the action-packed first half with ATK holding a one-goal advantage.

Delhi tried to force the initiative in the second-half and kept the majority of the possession, but it was ATK who dealt the first blow. Six minutes after the restart, Lanzarote set Jayesh free down the right with a lovely long pass. The ATK man carried the ball forward and crossed the ball in for Balwant inside the six-yard box. The 32-year-old slid in to complete his hat-trick.

With their two-goal cushion restored, ATK started exerting their influence on the match and controlled the tempo of the contest. But the match was far from over. The Lions clawed their way back into the game just after the 70-minute mark. Nandhakumar glided inwards from the left flank and took a shot at goal from outside the 18-yard box. It seemed that Debjit had his angles covered but the ball took a wicked deflection off Bikey to bamboozle the ATK custodian.

The goal set up an entertaining finish to the match, with Delhi turning the screws in search of the leveller. The ATK defence aided by Debjit, however, put up a resilient front to secure the victory.

Hero of the Match – Balwant Singh

The ATK striker was in top form tonight and capped off his dazzling display with a brilliantly taken hat-trick. He was adjudged the Hero of the Match.

At the post-match press conference, ATK head coach Steve Coppell began by congratulating Balwant for his hat-trick and said, “Superb, it was a really good display of centre forward play. The three goals were all different. He showed strength, he showed pace, he showed calm finishing. It was a really good performance at the spearhead of the team. He was outstanding.”

“There has been a spark to our play, I must admit. Its because Balwant has been leading the line so well in training for the last couple of weeks. There has been a real edge to his play. He saw this competition as an opportunity to score goals and to be part of the top players in the competition. Whoever we play in the semi-final, we look forward to it. I just hope that we can score goals as freely and be tighter at the back,” Coppell added.

Balwant, who was also in attendance at the briefing, said, “I want to congratulate all the teammates, the coaching staff, medical staff, everyone. I always try to keep improving myself and believing, and thanks to coach, who gave me so much trust.”

From the Delhi camp, head coach Josep Gombau shared his views on why he thought the match was a perfect rendition of the Dynamos season so far. “I think this game is a reflection of our season this year. We played good football. We had the ball more than the opponent. We had more crosses, more shots, more everything, but at the end, with some mistakes that we had, the opponents beat us. I think that is what happened to us this season. We have to work hard to come back stronger next year,” he said.

by Aiff media