ATK produced a solid defensive display to hold an in-form Jamshedpur FC to a 1-1 draw in their ISL match here on Sunday.
Sergio Cidoncha gave Jamshedpur the lead off a free kick in the 35th minute before Manuel Lanzarote curled a corner home at the stroke of half-time to make it 1-1.
ATK’s defence was called into action as early as the sixth minute when Gerson Vieira thwarted Cidoncha from getting to a Michael Soosairaj cross.
The hosts were in control of the midfield with the ever-present Mario Arques and Memo working in tandem to nullify ATK’s forays. Soosairaj, meanwhile, enjoyed space down the left flank. His cross into the box allowed Cidoncha to volley from close-range but the effort went straight to goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya.
Cidoncha had another chance when a rebound fell in front of him after Soosairaj’s effort was initially blocked. But ATK had plenty of defenders inside the box to keep out the striker’s attempt.
The Spaniard finally gave Jamshedpur the lead in the 35th minute. Pronay Halder’s foul on Cidoncha just outside the box allowed the forward to curl the resulting free-kick into the bottom right corner.
ATK equalised against the run of play. Lanzarote’s in-swinging corner flew directly into the net after goalkeeper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury failed to clear the ball.
In the second half, a superb pass by Mario Arques allowed Tim Cahill to sneak in behind the ATK defence but the Australian’s header fell safely into the hands of the goalkeeper.
The result: Jamshedpur FC 1 (Cidoncha 35) drew with ATK 1 (Lanzarote 45).
