In a battle between the two teams at the opposite ends of the table, the match had fluctuating fortunes but it was Sony Norde's brace (26th and 90+4th) aided with Sunil Chetri's 82nd minute penalty that halted the table toppers three-match winning run.
Having already sealed the semis berth and aiming a top-two finish, the home side looked complacent and lacklustre as Iain Hume (45+2nd) restored parity from the spotkick before Izumi Arata made it 2-2 with his 90th mintue goal.
Stranded in Chennai where the submerged airport had shut operations, MCFC, who were to arrive on Wednesday landed only this morning after travelling by road to Tirupati Air Base but they showed little fatigue to overcome ATK's resistance and put up their first win from eight matches.
ATK concluded the group league with 23 points but their position in the points table will depend on the match between Delhi Dynamos and FC Goa.
MCFC thus avenged their first leg defeat to ATK as this was their third loss at home and fifth overall this season.
ATK had thrashed Mumbai 4-1 in the first leg in a match where Hume had opened his account with a hattrick and the Canadian International has not looked back since then.
ATK had another setback as their captain Borja Fernandez picked his fourth yellow card and will miss out on the first leg of the semifinal, the date and opponents of which is yet to be decided.
ATK restored parity through a first half injury time penalty when Pratesh Shirodkar tripped Mohammad Rafique inside the box and Iain Hume buried the spotkick with a clinical finish to join Stiven Mendoza at the top of the goalscoring chart with 10 goals.
Putting pressure right from the word go, Antonio Habas' men got a first minute freekick which was brilliantly sent in by Gavilan but Doutie missed the kick from an acute angle in what could have been a rousing start for the home side.
The Tunisian central midfielder played a nice ball over the top of Chhetri but the Indian captain's shot was thwarted by ATK goalkeeper Calatayud.
ATK too had their first real chance two minutes later, when Gavilan brilliantly set up Hume in a one-on-one position but the Canadian missed the target as it was Norde who drew the first blood to put MCFC ahead.
After Hume's equaliser, Chhetri once again put MCFC ahead after Juan Aguilera was brought down inside the box by Tiri as the Indian captain finished with seventh goal of the season converting with a cool composure.
More action followed as Benachour set up brilliantly for Norde who took a deft touch to finish at the near post and earn the team full points.
Earlier, ATK made three changes to their concluding league match of the season by replacing goalkeeper Amrinder Singh with Juan Calatayud, while Nallapan Mohanraj was brought up at the leftback in place of Ofentse Nato and Rafique too got a start in place of Augustin Fernandes.
You’ve reached your limit of {{free_limit}} free articles this month.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
Already subscribed? Log in
Subscribe to read the full story →
Smart Quarterly
₹900
3 Months
₹300/Month
Smart Essential
₹2,700
1 Year
₹225/Month
Super Saver
₹3,900
2 Years
₹162/Month
Renews automatically, cancel anytime
Here’s what’s included in our digital subscription plans
Exclusive premium stories online
Over 30 premium stories daily, handpicked by our editors


Complimentary Access to The New York Times
News, Games, Cooking, Audio, Wirecutter & The Athletic
Business Standard Epaper
Digital replica of our daily newspaper — with options to read, save, and share


Curated Newsletters
Insights on markets, finance, politics, tech, and more delivered to your inbox
Market Analysis & Investment Insights
In-depth market analysis & insights with access to The Smart Investor


Archives
Repository of articles and publications dating back to 1997
Ad-free Reading
Uninterrupted reading experience with no advertisements


Seamless Access Across All Devices
Access Business Standard across devices — mobile, tablet, or PC, via web or app
