Kerala Blasters squandered a golden opportunity to move up to the sixth place on the points table of the Indian Super League (ISL) after going down 3-2 to ATK Mohun Bagan on Sunday. In fact, they snatched defeat from the jaws of victory after taking a two-goal lead.
There is no justification for collapsing inexplicably and allowing the rivals to dictate the flow of the game in the second half. Even the team's fiercest critics would not have imagined such a downfall.
The Yellow Brigade have only themselves to blame for the heartbreaking loss. They made a mistake by taking ATK too lightly and that overconfidence eventually cost them the match. Blasters looked complacent in the second half as they made no serious effort to buttress the lead or protect the two-goal cushion.
After swapping ends, the team lost steam and could not match the tempo of their opponents. The dangerous Roy Krishna and Marcelinho made most of their slackness and banged in three goals in a span of 30 minutes.
It was Marcelinho's first goal in the 59th minute that changed the complexion of the game. The goal rattled Blasters and resulted in them losing composure. As the match moved to the final minutes, they did not change tactics to preserve the scoreline as well.
Most of the Indian players in ATK's ranks have the experience of playing in high-pressure situations in the Calcutta Football League. I think that was the difference between the two team.
(The writer is a former captain of the Indian football team)
