ATK Mohun Bagan’s AFC journey ended last week after Uzbekistan’s FC Nasaf pulled off a surprising win in the interzonal semi-finals. Nasaf was brilliant in every department as they defeated Mohun Bagan 6-0 to advance into the final. The final will be played on October 20 between Nasaf and Hong Kong’s Lee Man FC. The shock defeat, one of the worst for ATK, in the semifinals has made the Indian club rethink its strategy for important games as the team prepares for Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season.
ATK’s main striker captain Krishna Roy, who had a hard time accepting the team’s fate in AFC, said that they have learnt several lessons from the tournament. “Took some time to accept our journey for the AFC Cup ends here. Gave our best despite the challenges but the better team won on the pitch. So many lessons learnt but the biggest one remains - don’t stay down after falling, pick yourself up and try again. Thank you for ur support,” the fan favourite tweeted on Saturday.
Took some time to accept our journey for the AFC Cup ends here. Gave our best despite the challenges but the better team won on the pitch. So many lessons learnt but the biggest one remains - don’t stay down after falling, pick yourself up and try again. Thank you for ur support pic.twitter.com/9iDhTUwV2C— Roy Krishna 🇫🇯🇳🇿 (@RoyKrishna21) September 25, 2021
Going by the captain’s words, ATK seems to be focusing on the upcoming season of ISL. The three-time champions will be looking to tie up the loose ends before November when the Indian football league gets underway.
French midfielder Hugo Boumous, who missed out on the AFC interzonal semifinal, will return to the camp to strengthen the team. Finnish midfielder Joni Kauko, who did play the AFC semis, may need more time to adjust since it was his first match against the Uzbekistan club.
ATK will kickstart the upcoming edition of ISL on November 19 when they lock horns with Kerala Blasters for the season opener. Their next game will be against the fellow West Bengal club SC East Bengal on November 27.
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