A struggling Atletico de Kolkata just needs a draw at home to salvage its semifinal hopes after a series of abortive away outings when it takes on the already-qualified FC Goa in a last-round group-stage Indian Super League fixture at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Wednesday afternoon.
For Kolkata it seems to be a case of burning up the fuel too early. Unbeaten in the first six games and the league leader till the 10th round, Antonio Habas’s ATK messed it up at the business end with a series of draws and losses.
On the other hand Zico’s FC Goa picked up the pace when it mattered.
Winless after the first four games the Goans turned the corner in the second phase and notched up four successive wins to ensure a passage into the last-four stage.
The Brazilian legend termed this remarkable turnaround as “one of the greatest moments in my career”. Zico said it was extremely difficult for any team to make such a recovery. “It is not easy when you are bottom of the table. This is quite an achievement when you make it to the semis with one round to go,” he said.
Faced with this situation Habas may well seek to invoke the spirit of his boys who downed the same opponent 2-1 by making a spectacular comeback in the first-leg tie at Fatorda. The bruising match also saw Habas and the ATK’s Ethiopian striker Fikru Lemessa banned for two matches for violent conduct, which had a cascading effect on the team’s performance in the later stages.
“That is a thing of the past and we are focusing on the future. We need to play well tomorrow and secure the points to reach the semifinals. That is more important for us,” Habas said.
Today’s Matches: Atletico de Kolkata vs FC Goa, Kolkata, STAR Sports 2, 3 & HD2, 4.30 p.m. NorthEast United FC v Mumbai City, Guwahati, STAR Sports 2, 3 & HD2, 7 p.m.
