Kolkata: A second-half penalty conversion by Fikru Teferra took Atletico de Kolkata to the Indian Super League (ISL) play-offs as they finished with a 1-1 draw against FC Goa in a crucial encounter here on Wednesday.
Fikru’s 67th minute strike nullified a 27-minute goal from the visitors’ Portuguese medio Edgar Marcelino at the Salt Lake stadium and set up a play-off double-header between the two sides on December 14 (Kolkata) and December 17 (Goa) to decide which team will enter the final.
The Goans finished second in the round robin league tallying 22 points from 14 matches, three more than Atletico.
Chennayin FC took pole position and will clash with fourth-placed Kerala Blasters FC on December 13 (Kochi) and December 16 (Chennai). The final is slated for December 20.
Elsewhere, NorthEast United FC finished their campaign at the bottom of the standings after playing out a 1-1 draw with Mumbai City FC later on Wednesday.
NorthEast went ahead in the 34th minute through a penalty from Koke, but couldn’t hold on to the lead as Sushil Kumar Singh equalised in the 84th minute.
The home team missed several clear-cut opportunities to win and were left to reflect on their missed chances.
The match was inconsequential to the final standings as both teams were already out of contention for a play-off spot before the match.
The draw helped Mumbai end their disappointing campaign at seventh, just above NorthEast, with 16 points from 14 matches. NorthEast managed only 15 points.
