ATK, Chennaiyin go for third title

Margao, March 13

ATK and Chennaiyin FC will both seek a hat-trick of ISL titles here on Saturday when they meet in the 6th edition’s final, which will be played without spectators owing to the Covid-19 pandemic.

This is the second time that an ISL match will be played in an empty stadium — the league stage game between NorthEast United and Bengaluru was held behind closed doors in Guwahati in the wake of the protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

The season has been a landmark one in many ways. While it has produced high quality football, the sport’s governing body AIFF has granted ISL the top-tier domestic competition status. The league phase winners, FC Goa, will become the first Indian side to directly play in the group stage of the AFC Champions League, the top club league of Asia.

Third time…

The two finalists have won the title twice already — ATK in 2014 and 2016, Chennaiyin in 2015 and 18 — and are looking to become the first side to win it three times. But there would be a dampener on the proceedings for there will be no spectators to witness the historic feat as the final will be played in an empty stadium.

The two teams were brilliant in the playoffs, with Chennaiyin getting the better of Goa in a thrilling two-legged tie that finished 6-5 on aggregate, while ATK produced a second leg turnaround to send defending champions Bengaluru FC packing with a 3-2 win on aggregate.

This is the first time that these two clubs are meeting each other in the final. Interestingly, neither club has lost an ISL final — a run that will end for one of them on Saturday.

Equals

The two sides are also on equal footing this season. In the league stages, ATK defeated Chennaiyin in Chennai before the team from the south returned the favour in Kolkata. — PTI