Colaco hattrick helps ATKMB conquer Kings

It took ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) a while after a Saturday dunking that unhinged a sliver of the stadium roof, flattened pitchside hoardings and led to a 51-minute stoppage to find their bearings. In that time, Bashundhara Kings hit the same upright twice. But once Liston Colaco set them on their way, ATKMB swept past the Bangladesh champions 4-0 to stay alive in the AFC Cup.

On a pitch with a drainage system so good–ATKMB coach Juan Ferrando said the ground was perfect–that two Group D matches could be held after a severe storm, Colaco was an unstoppable force. His first hattrick for ATKMB took his tally to four goals in this competition after 12 goal contributions in the Indian Super League. Fast and sharp, Colaco kept running at the Bashundhara Kings defence giving them nightmares every time he did. And he was clinical in front of goal.

So, when Bishwanath Ghosh slipped, Colaco, after staying onside to meet Carl MacHugh’s lob, didn’t break stride to tap home. “The first goal gave us the confidence,” he said after ATKMB had lost 2-4 to Gokulam Kerala FC on Wednesday. In the way ATKMB circulated the ball that led to the goal, it didn’t look like they were lacking in confidence but there can’t be a better boost to self-belief than scoring against a team that hasn’t lost in the AFC Cup.

If McHugh’s weighted pass opened the scoring, one from Joni Kauko buttressed the margin. The Finland international turned left but played the ball down the middle to have Colaco scooter away, produce a feint that got Anisur Rahman to lose balance and then round the goalkeeper to score. Had Colaco done to Manvir Singh what Kauko did to him, it could have been 3-0 by the 38th minute, but he chose to aim for goal.

Like at the start when a Robson da Silva free-kick grazed the hand of ATKMB goalie Arsh Anwer, preferred over Amrinder Singh, and hit the upright before a stunning left-foot volley from Md Rimon banged into it, Bashundhara Kings began the second half with a Yeasin Arafat shot that Anwer got an important hand to. That was in the 51st minute. Two minutes later, Colaco completed his hattrick. Kauko played Singh into space and after defender Khaled Shafiei slipped, he sped into the box and found Colaco who, in two touches, scored after Roy Krishna had created space by dragging a defender away. From the crowd, which Ferrando termed “fantastic” for staying through the downpour and never letting up on “Mohun Bagan, Mohun Bagan” chants, Colaco got a rousing send-off.

Substitute David Williams completed the good night in the 77th minute by finishing a move he started by finding Subhasish Bose on the left.

Apart from the goalkeeper, Ferrando got Sandesh Jhingan for the injured Tiri, replaced Lenny Rodrigues with Deepak Tangri and started with McHugh instead of Williams. All of them put in solid shifts. With Kauko marshalling the midfield, McHugh snuffing out moves and Jhingan shepherding the backline, ATKMB never let the game slip out of control. “Over the past two days we have read a lot of things said about us. Today, the players did the talking on the pitch,” said Ferrando.