FC Pune goes on top of table; hands first loss to champions Atletico

The home side came out of the blocks all guns blazing and took the lead two minutes after the first whistle. Jackichand Singh, who looked lively in his last game, found the back of the net with a lovely volley, after Ravanan picked him out with a cross from the right wing.

Atletico were stunned by the start their opponents had made and were hardly able to get a grip on the proceedings following the goal. Buoyed by the succees, Pune started overloading the right wing with Dharmaraj Ravanan and Lenny Rodrigues doubling up on Nallappan Mohanraj. The ploy opened up space for Jackichand on the left.

David Platt's decision to rest his key players in their last game seemed to have a positive effect on their performance as the Stallions looked hungry and sharp and pressed the Atletico players all over the pitch. Pune didn't allow their opponents any time and space on the ball, and won back the possession very quickly, whenever they lost it.

Atletico's first meaningful attack came in the 13th minute of the game when Rino Anto made a lovely forward run and found Iain Hume on the right wing with a through ball. The Canadian forward's measured cross at the far post was attacked by Arata Izumi, but he fouled Ravanan in the process.

On the other end, Pune's Tuncay Sanli was playing in a free role upfront, with license to move around the pitch, while Yendrick Ruiz was the target-man.

The 26th minute saw a big penalty shout from the home side, when Tuncay Sanli was brought down in the box by Borja Fernandez, but the referee was unmoved.

Pune FC could have, and should have, doubled their lead three minutes later when they ripped apart the Atletico defense with a swift counter-attack. Lenny Rodrigues skipped past Mohanraj on the right wing and found Sanli at the edge of the box. The former Turkish international sprinted to the byline and floated in a cross for Ruiz to attack. However, the Costa Rican's header was saved by Juan Calatayud and Jackichand's header was cleared off the line by Arnab Mondal.

In the 35th minute, Pune had to make a change as Lenny Rodrigues picked up an injury. The Indian midfielder was replaced by Bikash Jairu, who made his ISL debut.

The home side wasted a lot of chances in the first half and it was almost a miracle that Atletico de Kolkata conceded just one goal, going into the halftime break.

Antonio Habas had seen enough and made a tactical change at the start of the second half. Javi Lara, who was marked out of the game by Didier Zokora, was replaced by Jaime Gavilan. Atletico switched to a 4-3-3 formation with Izumi playing as a wide forward. However, this change didn't improve Atletico's performance as Iain Hume was isolated from the rest of the team.

Pune dominated the second half as well but missed a host of golden opportunities to extend their lead. Thankfully for them, they didn't have to regret it at the end. Kolkata were nowhere close to their best, and the match ended 1-0.

The win pushes FC Pune to the top of the ISL table. While it is still early days, this exhilarating performance against the defending champions did send out a strong message to the rest of the contenders.

David Platt's men justified his decision to rest key players in their previous games, and he would have been delighted with the way his midfielders and forwards hustled the opponents and won back the ball. The only concern will, however, be the chances they missed in the final third.

For Atletico de Kolkata, this was their first loss of this season and Antonio Habas will have to think about providing more support for Iain Hume upfront. The Canadian forward needs a supporting striker to continue his good show so far.