ATK Mohun Bagan lose 1-3 to Kuala Lumpur City FC in AFC Cup

KL City FC's Brazilian captain Paulo Josue struck once (60th) and set up another for substitute Fakrul Aiman (90+3) with a brilliant free-kick. Colombian forward Romel Morales came off the bench to hit the final nail in Mohun Bagan's coffin (90+6) at the Salt Lake Stadium here. Mohun Bagan equalised in the 90th minute through substitute Fardin Ali Molla but they later crumbled in front of home supporters.

This was Mohun Bagan's second successive elimination from the AFC Cup at the Inter-Zone semifinal stage. In 2021, they had endured a 0-6 humiliation against FC Nasaf. KL City FC will now face Uzbekistan's PFC Sogdiana in the inter-zone play-off final.

It was a reality check for ATK Mohun Bagan coach Juan Ferrando ahead of the Indian Super League as the Spaniard has failed to put together a good offensive and defensive unit after the departure of Roy Krishna, David Williams, Sandesh Jhingan and Tiri. Just a few days ago, Mohun Bagan made a shock group stage exit from the Durand Cup after losing to I-League side Rajasthan United FC. The 1-3 scoreline in favour of the Malaysian outfit, however, did not exactly portray the Mariners' domination in the first-half, especially in the first 15 minutes when they had a lion's share of possession.

But, they missed a flurry of chances with the striking lineup of Manvir Singh, Ashique Kuruniyan and Liston Colaco showing little coordination upfront, underlining the lack of firepower in the absence of Roy Krishna and David Williams. In the 17th minute, Colaco went past a defender from the left after getting a pass from Kauko, but he slammed the ball straight to Azri Ghani. Colaco continued his plight in front of the opposition goal as he wasted opportunities in the 36th and 42nd