Staff Reporter
Fatorda
The Indian Super League (ISL) finale at Fatorda Stadium was nothing short of a roller coaster ride for both teams and their fans. The atmosphere was electric as the two giants, ATK Mohun Bagan and Bengaluru FC clashed in a battle of wits and skills to claim the ultimate prize.
The match began on a sour note for Bengaluru FC as Siva Narayanan was stretchered off the field after being hit by an elbow from McHugh. But their talismanic skipper, Sunil Chettri, came on to replace him and provided some much-needed energy to the Bengaluru side.
The game quickly turned in ATKMB’s favour as Roy Krishna’s handball led to a penalty being awarded to Bengaluru, which Chettri converted to level the score. But the Fijian redeemed himself by scoring the second goal for his team, which was soon followed by a third. Dimitri Petratos then scored a penalty for Bengaluru, bringing the match back to level terms, and ultimately leading to a tie-breaker. ATK Mohun Bagan won the match to clinch their first-ever ISL title. ATKMB coach Juan Ferrando credited his team’s victory to his trust in the process and the resilience of his players. He highlighted the importance of controlling the second ball against Bengaluru, who he believed were always on the ball.
“Pressure is an inherent part of football. When players are not improving, it is important for me to control their training and emotions. Although people write and criticize me on social media, I do not pay attention to it since such things are beyond my control. People attack everyone, but I remain focused on my goal of preparing my players. I am grateful that the club trusts in me and the process. While winning a trophy is a great achievement, there is always room for improvement. I constantly think about changing details and enhancing the abilities of players, staff, and myself,” Juan said.
“Bengaluru is a strong team that is always on the ball. My aim is to control the second ball against them because failing to do so leads to difficult transitions and recovery. Despite having practiced for only three days, we managed to become champions, proving that playing against such teams is a challenge that can be overcome with dedication and hard work,” he added. Despite the disappointment of losing in the final, Bengaluru FC coach Simon Grayson was proud of his team’s efforts. He acknowledged the fact that his team proved many people wrong by reaching this far, and though they couldn’t cross the finish line, they could hold their heads high.
Speaking during the post match conference, BFC coach Simon said, “It is tough. The players came this far and lost on penalties. The boys can be mentally proud of themselves. Brutally honest it didn’t look like we could get here but we proved a lot of people wrong to get here but somehow we couldn’t get to the line and make it past the decisive penalty shootout.”
“We got the advantage to go in half 1-1. But we wanted to stop their attacking fullbacks and stop them causing the problems so we made chances which helped us in the game but we went extra time and penalties and hoped it would end in our favour,” Simon added.