ISL: The strange case of a game which both Atletico de Kolkata and Chennaiyin FC were happy to draw

The Salt Lake Stadium and the Rabindra Sarobar Stadium are worlds apart. The Salt Lake Stadium is big and imposing. On a good day, even with its reduced capacity of 68,000, it can be a cauldron of deafening noise. Even on a bad day, it can provide for an intimidating atmosphere.

The Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, which is Atletico de Kolkata’s new home in this third Indian Super League season while the Salt Lake Stadium undergoes renovation, is very different. For starters, it is smaller, much more humble. The official capacity is said to be around 20,000, but there were only 10,973 people around as Kolkata, under new manager Jose Francisco Molina, kicked off their ISL 2016 campaign against defending champions Chennaiyin FC on Sunday.

Anybody’s first half

Even Chennaiyin’s manager Marco Materazzi seemed a tad disappointed. “The new surface is great,” he remarked at the post-match press conference. “But yes, we missed the amazing crowd from last year. But it’s for a good cause, after all [alluding to the Salt Lake Stadium being renovated to host the FIFA U-17 World Cup next year]”

For Kolkata, who have retained the core of their side, playing under these new conditions, especially after getting used to Salt Lake for two years, must have been tough. Their performance in the first half reflected this. They got off the ground quickly, showing no signs of rust, but lacked finesse in the final half. In fact, it was Chennaiyin who soaked up much of the pressure, and came closest to scoring in the first half when former Liverpool man John Arne Riise hit the woodwork in just the eighth minute.

A ruling from the National Green Tribunal regarding environmental regulations meant that Atletico de Kolkata could not set off the trademark fireworks or play music during the match. The small crowd, though, were unperturbed as the match provided what proved to be a completely different second half.

From leading to trailing to equalising

First, Kolkata’s marquee player Helder Postiga delivered a superb long ball which saw an unmarked Doutie finally find the back of the net with a beautiful, angled shot. But just as Atletico had found cause to celebrate, they lost their concentration.

The always-dangerous Jeje Lalpekhlua was allowed too much time in front of goal, where he turned and half-passed, half-shot at goal. Jayesh Rane was quick to spot the opportunity and timed his run perfectly to get into a one-on-one situation from which he scored the equaliser.

Then things got worse for Molina. A routine shot from Chennaiyin’s Hans Mulder, way outside the box, got a fatal deflection off Atletico’s Jose Luis Espinosa Arroyo. The goal-keeper, new recruit Debjit Majumder, had positioned himself perfectly and was moving to his left, but the deflection caught him unawares. To his credit, he attempted a lunging dive to his right and even got a touch, but the force behind the shot was too much. In the space of 11 minutes, Chennaiyin FC had gone from a goal down to lead by a goal.

“We lost concentration in those 10-15 minutes,” was the Kolkata manager’s blunt assessment after the match. “They got the goal and we started to panic. And then they got very lucky with the second one.”

Ironically, it was the home team which could consider themselves lucky for managing a point from the game. Having taken the lead and with less than 20 minutes to go, Materazzi brought on Jerry Lalrinzuala, a young 18-year-old defender. It would go on to cost him.

In the 86th minute, Lalrinzuala made a rookie error, pushing Doutie in the box. The referee immediately called for a penalty. Kolkata’s experienced striker Iain Hume had no problems in getting the equaliser. Poor Lalrinzuala looked quite heart-broken after that goal.

But to his credit, his manager refused to blame him. “I felt bad for Jerry [Lalrinzuala],” said Materazzi on asked about the penalty. “It was, maybe, due to lack of experience.”

Both managers ultimately seemed happy about the result. For Chennaiyin, who had only won one previous game out of six against Kolkata, a draw is a result they will take. As for Kolkata, a win would have been sweet but a draw, in a match where defeat was a very real possibility, is a good result.

Besides, if nothing else, the Atletico de Kolkata-Chennaiyin FC clash provided much better football than the drab opener on Saturday between NorthEast United and Kerala Blasters.