A strike in the 84th minute by Noussair Maimouni saw ATK beat Delhi Dynamos 2-1 in their ISL encounter here on Wednesday. Having surrendered a 1-0 lead, ATK came back strongly to finish on a high at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium. It was ATK’s first win after two losses while Dynamos suffered its first reverse in two games.
A timely substitution worked wonders for ATK. Nine minutes from the final whistle, Maimouni was ideally placed when he received the ball from another substitute Jayesh Rane and made no mistake, burying the ball to the right corner and giving goalkeeper Francisco Dorronsoro no chance. The result was a fair reflection of ATK’s dominance.
The Kolkata side was quick to establish its hold, its moves not restricted to one flank. Dynamos felt the pressure, but stood firm even as Dorronsoro was tested twice. The trend continued as Dynamos spent the first half thwarting the ATK raids which grew in intensity as the contest progressed.
ATK’s efforts were rewarded in the 20th minute. Manuel Lanzarote darted in and lobbed the ball to Balwant Singh who scored off a stunning curler, leaving the Dynamos defence stunned.
Pritam Kotal nodded home the equaliser nine minutes after resumption. From a flag kick, the ball floated over the defence but was headed back cannily by Rana Gharami. Kotal rose to provide a clinical finish.
The result:
Delhi Dynamos 1 (Kotal 54) lost to ATK 2 (Balwant 20, Maimouni 84).
