HOWRAH: Mohammedan Sporting Club kept their final round hopes alive in 2018/19 Hero 2nd Division League with a 4-0 drubbing of ATK Reserves in an Preliminary Round Group C game at the Sailen Manna Stadium in Howrah on Monday.

Goals from Stephanson Pale (43′), Prosenjit Chakraborty (45+2′), Philip Adjah (58′) and a fairy tale strike from Desmos Arthur Kouassi (77′) helped Black Panthers to log their biggest win of the season.

Mohammedan SC hugely deserved all the three points as they dominated ATK with their expensive attacking football where they dominated in every respect where they played the dominant football that their Technical Director Raghunath Nandy preaches.

Mohammedan SC dominated proceedings from the very beginning and kept the ball in the rival half itself during the opening quarter. However, with the ATK defense staying deep, Mohammedan SC were finding it tough to penetrate.

On the other hand, ATK who were pressed back for the majority of the half, did well to absorb the pressure and looked dangerous on the few times they attacked. Goalkeeper Priyant Singh had to make a number of fine saves to keep Mohammedan SC in the contest.

Nonetheless, Mohammedan SC almost took the lead when Satyam Sharma pumped up a ball from the midfield in the 28th minute. The perfect pass found Kouassi on the run just outside the box, but the Ivorian struck the post.

However, Mohammedan SC kept pressing and were rewarded with the opening goal in the 43rd minute when Pale slotted past ATK goalkeeper Jedidi Haokip from close to give his side the well-deserved lead.

Then Prosenjit Chakraborty doubled the lead two minutes into first-half stoppage time when he slotted Adjah’s rebound after the Nigerian hit the cross-bar.

Mohammedan SC started the second-half like a house on fire, and it was evident from the very beginning that Black Panthers were going to collect full points as ATK players were outclassed in all departments and Mohammedan SC duly added the third through Adjah in the 58th minute. ATK defense gave the ball away carelessly and Adjah burst through into the area on the left hand side and deposited the ball past the helpless Jedidi for a 3-0 lead.

ATK, on the other hand, looked well out of their depth and rarely threatened in the second-half and when they did, the rock solid defensive pairing of Prosenjit Pal and Balwinder Singh regularly snuffed out the danger. Priyant also covered his area well to keep some dangerous strikes at bay.

Thereafter, Mohammedan SC continued to dominate proceedings creating multiple chances for Adjah and Kouassi up front.

Adjah should have secured his brace when a perfect cross was supplied to him across the face of goal by Pale, but the striker failed to tap it in from close range in the 73rd minute.

Four minutes later Kouassi put the final nail in the coffin slotting in from Adjah’s square ball to add further gloss to a terrific display.

Thanks to this big win Mohammedan SC have leapfrogged ATK Reserves for the fourth spot in Group C standings with 7 points from six matches. Mohammedan SC will host Chhinga Veng FC next on March 9, 2019 at Kalyani Stadium.