At the PJN Stadium, ATK Mohun Bagan cruised into the semifinals of the Hero Indian Super League with a 1-0 win over Chennaiyin FC on Thursday thanks to Roy Krishna's first-half goal.
The green and maroons moved to second on the table with 37 points from 19 games after Krishna scored his fifth goal of the season and first of the year in the 45th minute.On Friday, they play Odisha FC.
Chennaiyin were happy to sit back and attack on the counter for the first ten minutes of the match, with ATKMB bombing their defence with constant attacks.
After that early opportunity, the Mariners did not have any clear shots in the final third, but they seemed more likely to score before Chennaiyin made their way into the game.
The second half began with Chennaiyin on the front foot, and a Reagan Singh effort came off the post following a deflection off an ATKMB shirt three minutes into the hour mark.
ATKMB resisted for most of the second half, but won the tie and three important points, although a single point would have been enough for them to qualify for the semifinals.
A poor season had already eliminated Chennaiyin from playoff contention after their 20 points from 20 losses.