In a repeat performance of ISL 2014, Atlético de Kolkata’s clash with Kerala Blasters ended with the same result with Kolkata getting the better of Kerala Blasters in the penalty shootout.
In the first season of ISL 2014 Atlético de Kolkata beat Kerala Blasters 1-0 in regulation time but this time the match was more evenly paced and both the teams played their hearts out to tie with 1-1 till overtime.
kept their nerves in the penalty shootout to edge past Kerala with 4-3 and lift the trophy for the second time.
Mohammed Rafi put the Blasters ahead in the 37′ but Kolkata quickly equalized with a goal from Henrique Sereno. The Man of the Match was definitely Sereno as he showed great grit playing after a bad cut in the head and also scored a goal in the penalty shoot-out.
Road to the Final
Atlético de Kolkata did not an exemplary season and managed to score only 16 goals in the league format. With 4 Wins and 8 Draws, Kolkata scraped in and took the last spot in the Points Table to qualify for the Semi-Finals.
| Played | Win | Loss | Draw | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 14 | 4 | 2 | 8 | 20 |
Semi-Finals
The semi-finals saw ATK take on Mumbai and in the first leg, Kolkata won 3-2 thanks to a superb
performance by Hume who led the attack with 2 goals. In their second encounter, they managed to hold on to a goalless draw and reach the 2016 Finals on goal aggregate.
| Date | Match | Home | Score | Away | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 10-Dec-16 | SF1 (1st Leg) | Atlético de Kolkata Lalrindika Ralte 3′, Iain Hume 39′, Iain Hume 45′ (P), | 3 – 2 | Mumbai City FC Léo Costa 10′, Gerson Vieira 19′, | Rabindra Sarobar Stadium |
| 13-Dec-16 | SF1 (2nd Leg) | Mumbai City FC | 0 – 0 | Atlético de Kolkata | Mumbai Football Arena |
Home/Away Results
Atlético de Kolkata was at ease playing at home and suffered only 1 Loss at home. Jose Molina certainly did their homework (1Win and 5 Draws at home) and this resilience actually helped ATK to reach the top 4 spots.
| Team | Home | Away | Points |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chennaiyin FC | 2 – 2 | 1 – 1 | 2 |
| Delhi Dynamos FC | 1 – 0 | 2 – 2 | 4 |
| FC Goa | 1 – 1 | 2 – 1 | 4 |
| FC Pune City | 0 – 0 | 1 – 2 | 1 |
| Kerala Blasters FC | 1 – 1 | 1 – 0 | 5 |
| Mumbai City FC | 3 – 2 | 0 – 0 | 5 |
| NorthEast United FC | 1 – 1 | 2 – 1 | 4 |
Top Scorers
Hume certainly led the attack with attack with 7 goals followed by Javi with 3 goals.
| Player | Country | Goals |
|---|---|---|
| Iain Hume | Canada | 7 |
| Javi Lara | Spain | 3 |
| Sameehg Doutie | South Africa | 2 |
| Hélder Postiga | Portugal | 2 |
| Juan Belencoso | Spain | 2 |
| Stephen Pearson | Scotland | 2 |
| Lalrindika Ralte | India | 1 |
| Henrique Sereno | Portugal | 1 |
ISL 2016 Champions
In the end , you don’t need to be the most attacking team or set the fields ablaze – all it needs is resilience, teamwork and an ability to get the job done and certainly Jose Molina and Atlético de Kolkata showed us that – this is what matters!
View Complete Fixtures
View 2016 ISL Stats