ISL semi-finals, ATK vs Bengaluru FC second leg as it happened: Williams’ double sends ATK through

FT: ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

Here are the match statistics.

FT: ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

Celebrations begin in Kolkata

FT: ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

Bengaluru FC are stunned. They had this in their pocket at one point, but it all got away from them. Chhetri’s expression says it all.

FT: ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

ATK ARE THROUGH TO THE FINAL! What a comeback from Antonio Habas’ side who come from 2-0 down in the tie to progress to their third final. A brace from David Williams and a goal from Roy Krishna send the two-time champions through at the expense of Bengaluru FC whose title defence is over.

90+1’ ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

Three minutes added on. Can Bengaluru find a winner here?

90’ ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

What a clearance from Prabir Das as he denies Bengaluru a sure shot goal. The visitors are throwing the kitchen sink at ATK

88’ ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

SAVE! What a superb save from Arindam to preserve his team’s lead. He has been crucial for ATK in the second half

79’ ATK 3-1 BFC (Agg: 3-2)

GOOOOOAAALLLLLL! WILLIAMS AGAIN! ATK LEAD ON AGGREGATE! Prabir Das does well to send a cross under pressure but what a superb header from David Williams to send it past Gurpreet. ATK now on course for the final

75’ ATK 2-1 BFC (Agg: 2-2)

WHAT A CHANCE! Bengaluru miss the chance to put the tie to bed. A swift counter-attack sees Chhetri feed Frater inside the box who is in acres of space but he fails to beat the goalkeeper. Good save from Arindam

72’ ATK 2-1 BFC (Agg: 2-2)

Bengaluru are trying to take the sting out of the game by slowing the pace down. The onus is on ATK to up the tempo

70’ ATK 2-1 BFC (Agg: 2-2)

SO CLOSE! Bengaluru almost equalise as Chhetri drills a low free-kick which is flicked by Dimas as his effort flies just wide of the ATK post.

70’ ATK 2-1 BFC (Agg: 2-2)

SO CLOSE! Bengaluru almost equalise as Chhetri drills a low free-kick which is flicked by Dimas as his effort flies just wide of the ATK post.

64’ ATK 2-1 BFC (Agg: 2-2)

Cuadrat brings on Udanta Singh for Ashqiue Kuruniyan as they look to see this through. They lead on away goals here but a goal for ATK puts them on course for the final

63’ ATK 2-1 BFC (Agg: 2-2)

GOOOOOOAAAAAAALLLL! ATK LEAD 2-1! Williams sends Gurpreet the wrong way as ATK take the lead on the night and are now just one goal away from reaching the final. What a finish in store at the Salt Lake stadium

61’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

PENALTY FOR ATK! Questionable decision as David Williams seemed to go down quite easily after challenge from Suresh Wangjam. But there was clear contact and referee gives it in the home side’s favour

59’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

Bengaluru change. Brown has come off for Bevaughn Frater who will give Cudrat’s men lot of pace upfront on the counter as ATK look for the second goal

58’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

Good play from ATK. Prabir Das’s floated cross just evades Roy Krishna. The home side are steadily building the pressure

52’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

Bengaluru FC enjoying a good spell of possession in the second half. However, they haven’t threatened the ATK goal a lot.

46’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

Second half begins at the Salt Lake stadium. No changes at the break

HT: ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

ATK are not out of this yet

HT: ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

End of the first half and Bengaluru FC are in the driver’s seat in this tie thanks to that away goal from Ashique Kuruniyan early on in the game. Roy Krishna’s brilliant equaliser has restored ATK’s hopes who need two more goals to advance. Bengaluru FC have looked very threatening on the counter-attack with Ashique Kuruniyan wreaking havoc with his pace. Apart from a spell from ATK, it’s been visitors who have looked likelier to score despite enjoying much less of the ball.

45+1’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

Three minutes added on at the end of the first half

37’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

JUST OVER! Edu Garcia lets one fly from distance and it’s just over Gurpreet Singh Sandhu’s goal

32’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

CLOSE! ATK have their tails up all of the sudden. They almost score a similar goal as Prabir Das delivers a delicous cross that is just too high for Roy Krishna. The momentum has shifted in the home side’s favour here

29’ ATK 1-1 BFC (Agg: 1-2)

GOOOOAAAALLLLL! KRISHNAAA! ATK ARE BACK IN IT! Brilliant move from the home side who produce a real quality goal against the run of play. Game on at the Salt Lake stadium!

25’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

Ashqiue again! The winger is everywhere and ATK are finding it hard to live with his pace on the counter. This time he gets into the space in the central area and unleashes a shot that is straight to Arindam, but ATK are living dangerously here.

22’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

OFFSIDE! Bengaluru FC have the ball in the back of the net after ATK don’t deal with the set-piece well, but the linesman rightly flags for offside to rule the goal out

19’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

Another chance! Ashique is causing lots of troubles down that right hand side. He once again is found in space on the counter. However, his shot from outside the area is just wide of the target. Bengaluru are exploiting the spaces left behind by the ATK wing backs and the back are getting exposed

16’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

SAVE! Arindam keeps ATK in the tie with a fine save from close range. ATK defence switched off while defending the Dimas Delgado corner. Never a good idea against Bengaluru FC who are looking very sharp in Kolkata

15’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

WIDE! Michael Soosairaj does to create space for a shot after cutting inside from the left but his final effort is into the stands. ATK need better quality in the final third

11’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

CHANCE! Williams finds space inside the Bengaluru box but his shot is well over the goal. He was in a lot of space there and should have done better. ATK need a goal to lift themselves here.

7’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

ATK are in trouble now. They now need to score three goals to progress. Bengaluru FC have never conceded three goals in an away game this season. A real test of their character now

5’ ATK 0-1 BFC (Agg: 0-2)

GOOOOAAAALLLLL! BFC LEAD! Ashique Kuruniyan scores as Bengaluru cut the home side wide open with a quick counter attack. ATK caught horribly out of shape. Prabir Das fails to get his tackle right as Ashique scores comfortably.

3’ ATK 0-0 BFC (Agg: 0-1)

It looks like a back four for Bengaluru FC. Erik Paartalu is playing just behind Deshorn Brown with Chhetri dropping on the left side without possession

1’ ATK 0-0 BFC (Agg: 0-1)

KICK OFF! The game is underway at Salt Lake stadium. ATK trail Bengaluru FC by 0-1.

7:28: Bengaluru keeping everyone guessing

It will be interesting to see the exact formation of Bengaluru FC. It could be a back four or a back three with Ashique Kuruniyan playing at wing back

7:25 pm: Teams are out!

Good crowd in at the Salt Lake stadium today as the teams line up for the national anthems

7:12 pm: Habas stresses the importance of a clean sheet

I only have one target, which is to win the match and be in the final. My duty, like it was throughout the season, is to prepare the team for the challenge. It is an important challenge for us. It is an important challenge for ATK. It is an important challenge for Kolkata. We are prepared.  

For Sunday, we are 1-0 down. It is a good score for Bengaluru. We have to try to get more goals than the opponent. It is simple. I think it is very important to score goals, but even more important to not concede. Semi-finals are different to the regular matches, because if you lose, you are eliminated. We need the support of the fans. We need the support of every institution in the club. We have to have confidence in the players.  

We expect Bengaluru as Bengaluru is. They are a defensive team. Their defence has done well this season. If we score in the first minute, they cannot be defensive. We expect Bengaluru to be what they have been all season.  

7:10 pm: Cuadrat feels Bengaluru FC are used to the big stage

We expect a very tough game. It’s the most important game for ATK in the last three seasons. They weren’t in the top four in the last two seasons. For us, it’s the third final in a row. We were saying some weeks ago that we have three finals.

We won against 2-1 against Maziya (S&RC) in the AFC Cup play off round and 1-0 against ATK in the 1st leg. But unfortunately, against Maziya, it was not enough. We will work in the third final to try and achieve our objective. We will work to go to the ATK match and make it positive for us. We tried to make it 2-0 in the last game. We had some chances. We know that we can go there and draw, and we will be in the final.

It has been that kind of season where circumstances have changed. We had to deal with some situations that was not happening in that way in the past, but it is part of football. The players have responded well.  

Carles Cuadrat - Bengaluru FC manager

6:53 pm - Bengaluru have the edge of head-to-head record, but every game is a new one

6:50 pm - Plenty of red and white in Kolkata!

6:43 pm - Here’s how the two teams are lining up today

ATK XI: Arindam Bhattacharja (GK), Sumit Rathi, John Johnson, Pritam Kotal, Prabir Das, Regin Michael, Javier Hernandez, David Williams, Michael Soosairaj, Edu Garcia, Roy Krishna (C).

Subs: Armando Sosa Pena, Pronay Halder, Dheeraj Singh, Balwant Singh, Jayesh Rane, Jobby Justin, Victor Mongil.

BFC XI: Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Rahul Bheke, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra, Francisco Borges, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Suresh Wangjam, Ashique Kuruniyan, Sunil Chhetri (C), Deshorn Brown.

Subs: Kean Lewis, Udanta Singh, Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, Kevaughn Frater, Leon Augustin, Gursimrat Singh Gill, Rino Anto.

6:40 pm: TEAMS NEWS!

No Albert Serran for Bengaluru FC. He is replaced by Francisco Borges in the side. Ashqiue Kuruniyan comes in for suspended Nishu Kumar. Deshorn Brown partners Sunil Chhetri upfront.

Habas has named an unchanged team from the first leg.

Hello and welcome to the Live coverage of the second leg of the second Indian Super League semi-final between ATK and Bengaluru FC at the Salt Lake stadium.

Bengaluru are in the driving seat after edging the first leg 1-0 last week. They have their noses ahead but not by much.

ATK know that they have a task on their hands given how resolute Bengaluru are in defence. The likes of Roy Krishna, David Williams and Edu Garcia found little joy against the likes of Juanan Gonzalez in the first leg.

Breaching a defence that has conceded just 13 goals in 19 matches in ISL will be a huge ask, but something Antonio Habas will hope his side can manage at home. ATK have a strong home record and have won six of their nine matches here, scoring 18 of their 33 goals in the process.

More importantly, ATK defeated Bengaluru 1-0 during the league stages when the Blues travelled here.

“We expect a very tough game. It is the most important game for ATK in the last three seasons. They didn’t reach the play-offs in the last two seasons and for us, it can be a third final in a row,” said Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat.

ATK will hope their full-backs, Prabir Das and Michael Soosairaj, measure up to the challenge this time around. They could not give much service to Krishna and Williams in Bengaluru but will hope to make amends on Sunday.

Given that Bengaluru have a problem after left-back Nishu Kumar was sent off in the first leg, Prabir will be expected to be a nuisance down that flank.

Importantly, ATK have to remain cautious at the back since one mistake can give Bengaluru a huge away goal. It was Arindam Bhattacharya’s error that helped Deshorn Brown score in Bengaluru despite the Blues creating not many opportunities.

“Our aim is to win the game and be in the final. My duty as a coach is to prepare the team for the challenge. It is an important challenge for ATK. We are prepared. We have to try to get goals. We need the support of the fans. I think it is very important to score goals but it’s very very important not to concede,” said Habas.

However, Bengaluru’s prowess from set-pieces is well documented and with the likes of Sunil Chhetri and Erik Paartalu’s abilities key there. Dimas Delgado’s delivery is more often than not threatening and the ATK defence will have to find a solution to deal with that threat.

Bengaluru have not been scoring freely but their defending has pulled them out of tight situations countless times this season. They will back themselves to pull off another result against ATK but do have a few concerns. Apart from Nishu’s absence, centre-back Albert Serran is an injury doubt which might see a rejig in defence.

“We know we can go there and win the match. Even if we lose 2-1 or 3-2 we will be in the final so we will try to do our best there,” Cuadrat said.

One thing is clear though. Given what is at stake, both sides will go hammer and tongs at each other. Bengaluru have a chance to reach a third consecutive ISL final while ATK can reach their third ISL final ever.

The winner will face Chennaiyin FC in the final at Goa’s Fatorda stadium in March 14.