Mumbai City FC forward Sunil Chhetri (C) vies for the ball with Atletico-de-Kolkata's defender Arnab Mandal (R) during the Indian Super League football match on Friday. AFPKolkata: Mumbai City FC showed little signs of their ordeal in flood-hit Chennai as they edged out defending champions Atletico de Kolkata 3-2 in their concluding round match of the Indian Super League here on Friday.
In a battle between the two teams at the opposite ends of the table, the match had fluctuating fortunes but it was Sony Norde's brace (26th and 90+4th) aided with Sunil Chetri's 82nd minute penalty that halted the table toppers three-match winning run.
Having already sealed the semis berth and aiming a top-two finish, the home side looked complacent and lacklustre as Iain Hume (45+2nd) restored parity from the spotkick before Izumi Arata made it 2-2 with his 90th minute goal.
It was the Mohun Bagan forward who sealed a fine win for the Mumbai side but the victory came a little late as they've already crashed out of the tournament.
Stranded in Chennai where the submerged airport had shut operations, MCFC, who were to arrive on Wednesday landed only this morning after travelling by road to Tirupati Air Base but they showed little fatigue to overcome ATK's resistance and put up their first win from eight matches.
ATK concluded the group league with 23 points but their position in the points table will depend on the match between Delhi Dynamos and FC Goa.
The Nicolas Anelka side, on the other hand, finished with 16 points at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan.
MCFC thus avenged their first leg defeat to ATK as this was their third loss at home and fifth overall this season.
ATK had thrashed Mumbai 4-1 in the first leg in a match where Hume had opened his account with a hattrick and the Canadian International has not looked back since then.
ATK had another setback as their captain Borja Fernandez picked his fourth yellow card and will miss out on the first leg of the semifinal, the date and opponents of which is yet to be decided.
Fresh from their hattrick of wins at home, the defending champions found the going tough and missed their sting up front as the visitors took the lead against the run of play.
(With Agency inputs)
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