KOLKATA: In the end, it turned out to be a different David-killing-Goliath story.
David Williams decimated Dhaka Abahani Ltd with his first hat-trick of the season and handed pre-match favourites ATK Mohun Bagan a comfortable 3-1 win at the Salt Lake Stadium on Tuesday, taking Juan Ferrando's side to the group stage of the AFC Cup.
The Australian's all three goals --- in the sixth, 29th and 85th minute --- bore hallmark of a poacher's instincts, against which the visitors from Bangladesh capital had no answer. Abahani did threaten to alter the script when their Costa Rican striker Daniel Colindres reduced the margin to 1-2 on the hour mark and came close to upsetting the applecart on a few more occasions. But ATK Bagan were too mighty and too magnificent to be intimidated by all this and emerged the deserved winners.
Pritam Kotal & Co. will now make the Group D along with I-League champions Gokulam Kerala FC, Bangladesh's Bashundhara Kings and Maldives outfit Maziya, matches of which will also be held at the Salt Lake Stadium next month.
ATKMB, whose previous AFC Cup campaign ended on a painful note losing the inter-zonal playoff semifinal 0-6 to Unzekistan's FC Nasaf last September, got off to a dream start this time, with Liston Colaco releasing Joni Kauko on the left and the Finland international's cross found Williams at the right time at the right place to slot the ball in past a hapless Abahani goalkeeper Sahidul Alam Sohel in the sixth minute.
That early goal set the tempo of the home side's domination as they came calling with great intensity and innovation, leaving the Abahani backline gasping for breath. Kauko should have made it 2-0 in the 21st minute but he failed to keep Prabir Das's cross, this time from the right, on target from close.
Abahani suffered further blow to their aspirations when captain and key striker Nabib Jibon had to be taken off owing to an injury. ATKMB soon made the visitors' job more difficult.
It was another inviting cross from Prabir from the right and Williams, taking advantage of Abahani centre-back Tutul Badsha's poor reading of the danger, banged home his second goal of the night in the 29th minute.
And within six minutes, Williams came calling again, when Hugo Boumous, who had a terrific game, freed him with a delectable defence-splitting pass but the Australian, with just the goalkeeper to beat, squandered the opportunity, hitting straight at Sohel.
With Kauko and Boumous bossing the midfield and Liston and Prabir putting the rival rear-guard on its edge with a series of inviting crosses, ATKMB emerged the dominating side of the first half.
Abahani regrouped themselves after the break and temporarily tried to take the contest back to Ferrando's brigade. Set up by Rakib Hossain, Daniel beat ATKMB goalkeeper Amrinder Singh with a powerful right-footer just from the edge of the box in the 61st minute. And Jewel Rana, who replaced injured Jibon in the first half, missed the target by a whisker.
Having survived those moments of scares, ATKMB brought life back into their domination. After Liston and his immediate replacement Kiyan Nassiri missed two gilt-edged opportunities, Williams took the centre stage again. The imperious Boumous found him free with an inch-perfect lob from the centre circle and once the Australian beat the offside trap in the 85th minute, it was destined for goal. Williams raced towards the goal, rounded Sohel and met up with his moment of glory in sublime fashion.
