At the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi, Kerala, ATK Mohun Bagan played against their rivals Kerala Blasters as Dimitri Petratos recorded the first hat-trick of the new Hero ISL season.
The Mariners extended their Hero Indian Super League unbeaten streak against The Blasters to five games with a thrilling 5-2 win thanks to Petratos (ISL)’s 3-pointer. The commotion inside the stadium reached its peak when Ivan Kaliuzhnyi gave the home team the lead just six minutes into the game.
As usual, the last week of Indian Super League (ISL) action has provided plenty of talking points. Chennaiyin FC and Bengaluru FC played a fun draw. Jamshedpur FC was overtaken by Odisha FC, while Hyderabad FC and FC Goa won for the first time this season.
But over the weekend, Mumbai City FC defeated Odisha FC. The best was saved for the last contest of the week, which ATK Mohun Bagan dominated 5-2 over Kerala Blasters in Kochi.
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The Ukrainian worked well with Sahal Samad on the right flank and beat Vishal Kaith at the near post after the Blasters pressed early and often. In the 26th minute, Boumous ran down the left flank, outplayed by Ruivah Hormipam, and then selflessly dropped the ball for Petratos to equalize.
Manvir Singh noticed Joni Kauko running into the box from midfield in the 38th minute, which completely changed the course of the match. The forward delivered a precise pass to the midfielder, who then passed it to Kauko, who smashed it into the goal to give the Mariners the lead on the opposing team’s turf.
ATK Mohun Bagan’s side went into a scoring frenzy when Hamill intercepted Samad’s cross for Carneiro. However, the defender’s header hit the crossbar and bounced back into play before Dimitrios Diamantakos’ effort from the bicycle kick was unsuccessful.
The ball was still in play before Kaliuzhnyi declared it dead.
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The ball was still in play before Kaliuzhnyi declared it dead. Two minutes later, Boumous made another fantastic pass to Colaco at the other end. The winger raced into the penalty area and slipped the ball into the path of Petratos, who struck it down to create a two-goal cushion.
Boumous was replaced by Florentin Pogba in the 71st minute, and the Mariners went on the defensive to maintain their lead. An error by Vishal Kaith nine minutes before the end of regulation time allowed Rahul Kannoly Praveen to regain parity.
The Blasters were able to get back into the game when Rahul’s cross from the right side strayed a bit, slipping past Kaith’s gloves and into between his legs. When substitute Lenny Rodrigues pounced on Jeakson’s errant pass in midfield and started a fast break past Petratos, any chance of a Blasters comeback vanished.
Two minutes from time, the Aussie returned possession to Rodrigues, who then scored. A little later, Rodrigues launched another attack by passing a magnificent ball to Colaco, who then sent it straight into the path of Petratos.
In second-half stoppage time, the striker finished off a well-deserved hat-trick by shooting from close range. In their next match on Sunday 23 October, the Blasters will travel for the first time this campaign to take on Odisha FC. On Saturday, October 29, the Mariners will play at home against East Bengal FC in the Kolkata Derby.
