It was a breathless Kolkata derby as ATK Mohun Bagan left it late to secure an unforgettable 3-1 win over arch-rivals SC East Bengal in the 2021-22 Hero Indian Super League (ISL) at the PJN Stadium in Fatorda.
The win was singlehandedly delivered by the youngest ever hat-trick scorer in Hero ISL, Kiyan Nassiri (64’, 90+2, 90+3’), ironically the son of East Bengal legend Jamshid Nassiri. Super-sub Nassiri’s goals cancelled out the strike from Darren Sidoel (56’) who gave the Red & Gold Brigade a shock lead in the second half.
The Kolkata derby began with a measured approach by each team. the simplest early chance fell to SCEB’s Marcelo Ribeiro 5 minutes before the half-hour mark who found acres of the area behind the ATKMB backline. However, the forward sent his shot wide off the mark from a one-on-one situation. The Mariners conjointly had a couple of possibilities as they strived to get the opener with Liston Colaco and Subhasish bose coming back close with their various attempts.
The Mariners dominated a lot of the possession however an absence of end product meant that the outfits went into the halftime break on level terms. The last half began on a fiery note with Colaco striking the top corner with a right-footed curler within minutes from the restart.
On the opposite end, Antonio Perosevic made Amrinder Singh pull out a vital save on his near post with a robust left hand. However, the impasse was finally broken against all odds by SC East Bengal through Darren Sidoel. The midfielder attacked the near post from a corner, got to the ball first, and guided it past the goalkeeper cleverly.
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The Mariners scored the equaliser when the hour mark through Kiyan Nassiri, who came off the bench to make his second appearance for the club. a few minutes later, ATKMB then had the chance to take the lead from the penalty spot through David Williams. The Australian, however, managed to send his spot-kick into the stands. Hira Mondal then turned up and created a goal-line clearance to deny Colaco a goal.
Six minutes were added for stoppages by the officials that were enough for more moments of magic. A header from Williams hit the post and fell to Kiyan who created no mistake with the volley and scored the crucial goal. a moment later, he finally completed an iconic hattrick with an expedient finish deep into injury time. The cameo was enough to make sure 3 points for the Mariners.
SC East Bengal plays top-four candidates Chennaiyin FC in their next at the Tilak Maidan Stadium on Wednesday whereas ATK Mohun Bagan will clash against ruling champions Mumbai City FC at the PJN Stadium on Thursday.
