ISL 2020-21 LIVE, ATKMB vs BFC Live Score Updates: Williams goal gives ATK Mohun Bagan 1-0 lead vs Bengaluru FC

Hello and welcome to Sportstar's ISL LIVE blog of the clash between ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC.

50' Krishna harries Dimas into conceding possession.

47' Dimas goes down clashing into Krishna and the freekick is given in favour of BFC.

46' The second half kicks off. BFC SUB: Udanta OFF, Suresh ON

SECOND HALF

HALF-TIME whistle blown. A deserved lead for ATK Mohun Bagan, who set the tempo from the first minute. Quick passing, fast runners and effective high press from the Green and Maroons unsettled Bengaluru from the first minute. BFC had an opportunity to regroup after the cooling break but ATKMB didn't let off. With a one-pass move it caught BFC unaware and Williams scored a stunning goal! This was ATKMB's only first half goal of the season.

45'+1' A long ball into the box as BFC looks for Paartalu to nod it into an attacker but the Aussie's header flies wide.

Two minutes of added time.

42' Yellow card for Bheke for handling Halder's quick throw in.

41' A reverse pass from the freekick to find Krishna, whose cutback is intercepted by Dimas.

40' A long ball down the left and Williams and Pratik give chase. Williams gets to it first but Pratik gets a handful of his shirt and hauls the striker down. Freekick given in favour of ATKMB.

39' Chhetri catches Krishna on the follow through with his trailing leg. Krishna is down momentarily but he is now okay to continue.

37' Freekick for BFC. It's headed down into the box by a Bheke but its cleared away.

33' GOAL! ATKMB 1-0 BFC! PICK. THAT. OUT! A stunning goal from David Williams! McHugh with a long ball to the left to find Williams, who brings it down with a superb first touch, cuts in to the middle and rifles a shot into the top right corner! Gurpreet had no chance to save that.

30' Foul called against ATKMB on a freekick and that's the first water break called.

27' Chhetri with a run through the middle and takes a left-footed shot which is straight at Arindam.

24' Edu receives the ball on the left and immediately plays a ball over the top for Krishna, who beats the offside trap. But Krishna can't et his first touch right this time and Gurpreet comes out to collect the loose ball.

23' Edu holds of Khabra and plays in a defence splitting pass for Manvir, whose drilled cross is cut off again by Gurpreet.

22' Tiri finds Subhasish on the left flank and he plays in a low cross into the BFC box which Manvir meets with a left-footed shot. There wasn't enough power on the shot and Gurpreet quickly gets down to stop it.

19' A long ball into the ATKMB box and Paartalu manages to make an unchallenged header at goal but its straight at Arindam. Let off for AKTMB.

16' Williams picks out Krishna with a ball over the top but Juanan recovers and keeps up with the Fiji striker to deny him the room to take a shot.

15' ATK Mohun Bagan has taken the initiative in attack. 55 per cent possession. Something whcih you don't see often.

11' Krishna plays it Edu, who knocks the ball past Pratik and cuts it back across goal which is crucially intercepted by Bheke.

Habas' teams have only lost once in four games against Bengaluru FC in the ISL.

8' It appears that both teams are playing four at the back. Bheke playing as a left-back and Khabra continues as the right back in Bengaluru's 4-2-3-1 formation. Cleiton seems to be playing in a No. 10 role.

6' Williams has a free header from the free-kick but puts it over the bar. He is flagged offside.

5' Juanan gets an early booking for pulling Krishna back with his hands on the right flanks.

Brown needs some treatment on the touchline. Looks like he has a cut on his right eye.

4' ATKMB enjoy possession in the early stages but hasn't threatened in the final third of the pitch yet.

1' ATKMB kicks off from right to left.

FIRST HALF

7.24 pm: Bengaluru makes its way out to the middle in its away white kit. ATKMB walks out in its green and maroon home kit.

Roy Krishna is ATKMB's leading scorer with 5 goals this season. - ISL/Sportzpics

7.08 pm: While Bengaluru’s seven goals from open play is the second highest in the league this season, ATK Mohun Bagan is yet to concede a goal from open play. The three goals against it has come from set pieces.

Khabra might likely slot in as the left wingback in a 3-4-3 system. Khabra and Chhetri had struck up a partnership with the former providing two assists from the right-back role in the last two matches. - ISL/Sportzpics

6.50 pm: One change for ATKMB from the win over Goa. Brad Inman drops out for former Bengaluru midfielder Edu Garcia. Three changes for BFC. Ashique, Opseth, Suresh - OUT. Brown, Bheke, Udanta - IN.  Here's what is keeping Ashique out of action. It's likely the winger won't return until the new year. New signing Ajith Kumar makes the matchday squad for the first time this season.

6.35 pm: Team news is in

ATK Mohun Bagan XI (5-4-1)

Arindam Bhattacharja; Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Carl McHugh, Sandesh Jhingan, Subhasish Bose; David Williams, Edu Garcia, Pronay Halder, Manvir Singh; Roy Krishna

Benagluru FC XI (3-4-3)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Rahul Bheke, Pratik Chaudhari, Juanan; Udanta Singh, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Harmanjot Khabra; Cleiton Silva, Deshorn Brown, Sunil Chhetri

Sandesh Jhingan never tasted success against Bengaluru with Kerala Blasters. Will he get a win against his former employer with ATK Mohun Bagan? - ISL/Sportzpics

6.15 pm: Here are our predicted XIs

ATK Mohun Bagan predicted XI (3-5-2)

Arindam Bhattacharja; Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Sandesh Jhingan; Prabir Das, Brad Inman, Carl McHugh, Pronay Halder, Subhasish Bose; Roy Krishna, David Williams

Benagluru FC XI predicted (3-5-2)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK); Rahul Bheke, Fran Gonzalez, Juanan; Udanta Singh, Erik Paartalu, Suresh Wangjam, Dimas Delgado, Harmanjot Khabra; Cleiton Silva, Sunil Chhetri

6.05 pm: Mohun Bagan vs Bengaluru FC had the makings of a significant rivalry of Indian football in the four years the latter was part of the I-League. Who can forget Bello Razaq's dramtic late equaliser at the rainy Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore to snatch the title away from the home side? Now, they renew rivalries on a new stage with the the Mariners taking up a new avatar as ATK Mohun Bagan. 

MATCH PREVIEW

Bengaluru FC (BFC) will face its stiffest challenge yet when it takes on ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) at the Fatorda Stadium on Monday.

The third-placed team (12 pts) is the only unbeaten outfit in the league, is joint-top for most goals scored (11) and has won its last two matches. But ATKMB, second in the competition (13 pts), is arguably the toughest side to break down (just three goals conceded) and rediscovered its winning spirit against FC Goa after blips against Jamshedpur FC and Hyderabad FC.

“I think it will be a very physical challenge,” said BFC coach Carles Cuadrat on match-eve. “They (ATKMB) are tough, [with] big bodies and play a high-tempo game. You saw how they played against Goa and took advantage of counter-attacks and open space.”

“So, it's going to be that kind of a game with two compact teams and not a lot of things happening in attack. These kinds of games are normally controlled by the defenders and it will be little details that will decide the game.”

ATKMB proved adept at this in the contest versus Goa, denying its opponent the space and time to get into a free-flowing passing rhythm. The role of Irish defensive midfielder Carl McHugh has been central to this. BFC, though known for its defensive organisation, has appeared shaky in the recent past, conceding five times in the last three matches.

But ATKMB coach Antonio Habas was adamant that his wards enjoyed no discernible advantage. “In this season, the teams are more balanced and it’s very difficult for all teams to keep on winning,” the Spaniard said. “The reality is that teams are closer, with not much difference [in points also].”

It thus seems like a perfect setting for some individual magic and one need not look any further than Sunil Chhetri and Roy Krishna for potential heroes. Chhetri has three goals thus far and has struck a fine combination with fellow forward Cleiton Silva, the kind of which has been missing since Miku left the club after the 2018-19 season.

Ashique Kuruniyan’s dynamism on the left-flank has been vital too, but BFC will have to do without it after the India winger underwent a surgery to repair the multiple fractures he suffered to his face during the win over Odisha FC on Thursday.

For ATKMB, Krishna has accounted for five goals; three of them match-winners. He may well be the one standing between BFC and a third win on the trot, a feat the 2018-19 champion hasn’t achieved in the ISL in more than two years.

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The Indian Super League (ISL 2020-21) marks the return of major league competition in India after the nationwide lockdown to prevent the COVID-19 outbreak was first imposed in March.

The seventh edition of the ISL got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.

ISL 2020-21 points table

The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.