ISL 2021-22: Chennaiyin hold ATK Mohun Bagan to remain unbeaten

Liston Colaco's 18th-minute strike was cancelled by Koman (45') right before half-time.

Chennaiyin are yet to face defeat as they go third on the table with eight points.

The Mariners continue to be outside the top four with seven points.

After creating a few chances in the opening moments, ATK Mohun Bagan finally got the breakthrough in the 18th minute.

Liston Colaco banged home albeit after the ball kissed the bar as Roy Krishna played a brilliant through ball to open the scoring.

FULL-TIME | #ATKMBCFC

A closely fought contest between @atkmohunbaganfc and @ChennaiyinFC ends in a stalemate with the Marina Machans extending their unbeaten run in the #HeroISL 👏#LetsFootball pic.twitter.com/kVjVzJ052E

— Indian Super League (@IndSuperLeague) December 11, 2021

Earlier in the 16th minute, Ashutosh Mehta showed excellent skill and tried to create a chance from the right flank. CFC defenders intercepted the attack before he could hand the ball over to Manvir Singh.

ATKMB's Tiri got a yellow card in the 22nd minute. Tiri was booked by the referee for a harsh tackle on Edwin Vanspaul. Similarly, in the 25th minute, Reagan Singh of Chennaiyin was cautioned for a mistimed tackle on Roy.

Chennaiyin FC grew into the game with captain Anirudh Thapa and Lallianzuala Chhangte at the center of the attacks around the half-hour mark but they could not do any damage to ATKMB.

In the 41st minute, CFC got a corner which could have been a goal but ATKMB goalkeeper Amrinder Singh was on point. However, in the 45th minute, Vladimir Koman gave Amrinder no chance and equalised. Polish striker Lukasz assisted Koman from a throw-in which caught the Bagan defence off-guard.

Post the break, Hugo Boumous and Roy showed glimpses of their link-up play but Chennaiyin remained resolute. It was Edwin from Chennaiyin who could have handed his team but was unlucky in his attempt.

Bagan brought in David Williams surprisingly in the dying embers of the game but the Australian failed to create an impact as both sides split points in a high-voltage contest.

CFC coach Bozidar Bandovic summed up his feelings aptly.

""I'm very happy with the performance of the team. Our team looks very serious on the field in all aspects. We deserved to win and I'm very proud of my players for their performance. The way they played, their character, their effort and the tactical changes they made when we changed the system this week. I congratulate them for their performance," Bandovic said.

CFC next take on champions Mumbai City FC at the same venue on Wednesday (December 15) while the Kolkata giants lock horns with former champions Bengaluru FC at the Bambolim Athletic Stadium, day later.

Since the inception of the ISL in 2013-14, there has been a constant effort to innovate and focus more on Indian football. With this in mind, the number of foreign players has been limited to 4 in the starting 11 from this season in strict compliance with the AFC's club competition regulations.

Till last season the number of Indian players was stipulated to six and the new rule will see one extra Indian player on the field and a spot less for the foreign players.

While the weekday 7.30 pm kick off remains intact, there is an additional 9.30 pm kick off for double headers on Saturday. There has also been an increase in prize money which is indeed a bonanza, considering an economy ravaged by the COVID-19 pandemic.

(With inputs from ISL/CFC Media)