ATK Mohun Bagan moved within a point of reaching the AFC Cup knockout stage after coming from behind to defeat hosts Maziya Sports & Recreation 3-1 in their Group D tie on Saturday.
The result sets up an intriguing final day (Tuesday) encounter between ATK Mohun Bagan and Bashundhara Kings of Bangladesh for a place in the inter-zone semi-final while Maziya join Bengaluru FC in being eliminated. Earlier, in the day Bengaluru were held goalless by Bashundhara.
A draw will be enough for ATK Mohun Bagan (six points) to advance to the knock-out stage, while Bashundhara Kings (four points) will need a victory. The group winners make the grade.
The two sides came into the match on the back of contrasting results, with ATK Mohun Bagan having overcome their compatriots Bengaluru FC 2-0 and Maziya losing to Bashundhara Kings by an identical margin.
The hosts opened their account for the campaign after 25 minutes when Cornelius Stewart led a quick counter-attack, embarking on a solo run down the right before crossing for Ibrahim Aisham who swept home Maziya’s opener.
But ATK Mohun Bagan turned the match on its head in the second half. Liston Colaco scored a brace while Manvir Singh netted the team’s third goal as ATK Bagan continued to impress.