There were goals galore in the Super Cup on Monday as ATK Mohun Bagan and Jamshedpur FC won high-scoring matches in group C at the EMS Corporation Stadium.
ATKMB began their Super Cup campaign with an emphatic 5-1 drubbing of local side Gokulam Kerala FC while Jamshedpur beat fellow Indian Super League side FC Goa 5-3.
In the first match of the day, the home team fans watched in stunned disbelief as the ISL champions toyed with their defence with winger Liston Colaco being the star of the show, scoring two early goals that put the Green and Maroon Brigade in a comfortable position within the first 30 minutes itself.
Gokulam Kerala’s defensive line was found wanting on multiple occasions, something that Hugo Boumous took advantage of to lodge a goal and an assist to his name. While Manvir Singh scored the remaining goal for ATKMB, Sergio Mendigutxia pulled one back for the Malabarians later in in the second half, but by then, the visitors were already in cruise control.
ATKMB coach Juan Ferrando fielded a strong side – while he rested Australian Dimitrios Petratos, young Kiyan Nassiri received a start upfront.
The Green and Maroon brigade didn’t have to wait for long to break Gokulam’s defence as they opened the scoring in the seventh minute. Hugo Boumous forced the Gokulam defender Abdul Hakku to commit a mistake, winning the loose ball and passing it on to Liston Colaco. Liston received the ball at the edge of the penalty box and curled it into the far corner to make it 1-0 to the Mariners.
Liston then added one more goal to his tally to make it 2-0 in the 27th minute. Hugo Boumous then got in on the act as he received the ball from Kiyan Nassiri in the middle of the pitch, decided to run inside Gokulam’s penalty box and beat Shibinraj to make it 3-0 just before the half time.
Manvir Singh made it 4-0 for the Kolkata giants in the 63rd minute off a Boumous assist to take the game out of Gokulam’s hands. The Malabarians pulled one back in the second half. Off a free kick, Bouba Aminou provided the ball for Sergio Mendigutxia to head in. Nassiri added to Gokulam’s misery by scoring his team’s fifth goal of the match moments before the final whistle as he pounced on a failed clearance to make the most of it.
Jamshedpur beat FC Goa
FC Goa took the lead when goalkeeper TP Rehenesh lost the ball just outside the box in the sixth minute. Having received the opportunity, Iker Guarrotxena didn’t waste time to pass the ball to Noah Sadaoui, who was in an advantageous position and the winger skillfully hammered the ball in.
However, FC Goa’s celebrations didn’t last long. In the 11th minute, Rafael Crivellaro delivered an inch-perfect cross from the corner and Jamshedpur centre-back Pratik Chaudhari headed it in to level the scores at 1-1.
In the 27th minute, Ricky Lallawmawma was fouled right outside the rival box. Set-piece expert Crivellaro once again showed his class as he struck well into the top right corner to put his side ahead.
Pronay Halder dealt them another blow to take the game further from FC Goa’s reach. Halder got himself into a shooting position in the additional time of the first half and pulled the trigger. To his delight, his ill-directed shot went in after getting deflected by Syrian defender Mohamed Fares Arnaout.
After half-time, Jamshedpur continued to put pressure on the rivals. Brazilian sensation Crivellaro continued to be a source of constant trouble for FC Goa defence. Just before the hour mark, the 34-year-old made it 4-1 with a simple tap-in. The credit, however, goes to substitute Ritwik Das, who carried the ball from the left flank, dribbled past an opponent and found Crivellaro with a perfect pass.
The game saw another twist as FC Goa went on to score two back-to-back goals. In the 61st minute, Iker Guarrotxena headed the ball in following a lob by Brandon Fernandes. That also marked the Spaniard’s 12th goal of the season for FC Goa.
In the 70th minute, Goa’s Sadaoui found the back of the net with a comfortable header to make it 4-3. Skipper Brandon was once again the brain behind the goal as his cross from the right turned out to be a perfect one.
Finally, Jamshedpur’s substitute Harrison Sawyer capitalised on an error by Arshdeep Singh and dealt a blow to FC Goa’s hopes of getting an equaliser. The Australian forward pounced on an opportunity in the 81st minute and took advantage of an awkward bounce of the ball to beat the goalkeeper and make it 5-3 for Aidy Boothroyd’s men.
In the next round of group C fixtures on Friday, Jamshedpur FC will take on ATK Mohun Bagan, while FC Goa will clash with Gokulam Kerala.
