ISL 2018: ATK delights the locals

Chennaiyin FC pressed for an equaliser and created several chances in the first half but failed to convert them.

Former champion ATK rode on two early goals to beat title-holder Chennaiyin FC 2-1, and pick up its first win at home, in a Hero ISL fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium on Friday. 

Nigerian striker Kalu Uche opened the host’s account and English defender John Johnson doubled the lead for ATK before Chennaiyin reduced the margin off Argentine Carlos Salom as the match was decided in the first quarter of the action. 

Opportunistic

The host brought the match alive with an opportunistic goal in the third minute when its fit-again striker Uche found the mark. 

The Nigerian got in the line of a powerful header from Brazilian defender Gerson Vieira, who nodded down Karanjit Singh’s goal-kick from the half line to find the former unmarked on top of the Chennaiyin box. This caught the visitor’s central-defence off guard and Uche had all the space and time to slot the ball home past a hapless Karanjit. 

ATK increased the lead in the 13th minute when John Johnson capitalised on another defensive error and found the target with a sharp header. The opportunity came off a Manuel Lanzarote free-kick which curved its way to the head of the Englishman who had moved up for the set-piece. Chennaiyin midfielder Isac Vanmalsawama missed the clearance and Johnson easily put the ball in the far corner.

Brilliant header

Chennaiyin pulled one back in the 17th minute through Salom’s brilliantly flicked header. Francisco Fernandes made his way up the right flank to issue a cross at the ATK goalmouth and Salom sneaked past Johnson to deflect the ball to the far corner, giving ’keeper Arindam Bhattacharya no chance.

After the first 20 minutes of intense action, the match tapered off to rather bland exchanges. The host got busy in bolstering its defence while the visitor failed to regain any incisiveness that could secure parity.

With its second win, ATK has moved into the fourth position, while the champion continues to be in ninth spot after suffering its fourth loss in five matches.

The result:

ATK 2 (Kalu Uche 3, John Johnson 13) bt Chennaiyin FC 1 (Carlos Salom 17).