The second week of the Indian Super League 2022-2023 continues and fans continue to pour into the stadiums after a two-year hiatus. This week, fans were treated to a scene for the history books as Dimitri Petratos became the first Australian to score a hat-trick in the Indian Super League.
The week saw some amazing football, with teams reaching their respective highs and lows, last-minute goals being scored, along with late-game fouls that left viewers at the ends of their seats.
Persevering Petratos’ Prize
In the final match of the week, fans of ATK Mohun Bagan and fans of football alike were rewarded by the performance of Dimitri Petratos. He led his team to a spectacular victory with a three-goal difference against their opponents Kerala Blasters FC on the latter’s home turf in Kochi.
Kerala Blasters’ Ivan Kalyuzhnyi scored the first goal of the day, but by the first half, Petratos and Joni Kauko had each scored, silencing the previously exhilarated crowd who would now witness the nail being driven into the coffin as Lenny Rodrigues scored a goal and Petratos completed his hat-trick in the final half.
The 5-2 victory comes as a great morale boost to the team who had a less-than-noteworthy pre-season and suffered a loss in their opening match of the Indian Super League 2022-2023 season.
Early and late-game excitement
A rare occurrence for the Indian Super League and football occurred during Chennaiyin FC’s match against Bengaluru FC. Chennaiyin FC’s goalkeeper, Debjit Majumder was shown a red card after he tackled Roy Krishna to stop the indomitable striker’s charge at the goal. This happened in the 82nd minute and may have been instrumental in maintaining the equilibrium of the scoreline. As Thomas Brdaric had used up his substitutions, Iranian Defender, Vafa Hakhanameshi had to put on the gloves.
It is important to note that despite the glaring handicap brought about by the red card, Bengaluru was unable to capitalize on this situation and the match ended in a draw. Regardless, Roy Krishna shone through as he scored a goal at blistering speed in the 4th minute of the match’s commencement. It was equalized within the first half by Prasanth. Neither side was able to score in the second half resulting in a 1-1 stalemate.
East Bengal vs FC Goa
Week 2 of Hero Indian Super League 2022-2023 opened with East Bengal facing FC Goa before the former’s home audience in Kolkata. East Bengal got off to a rocky start. They conceded a goal in the 7th minute, as Brandon Fernandes exploited a momentary lapse in their defense and beautifully guided the ball into the goal. They soon retaliated with a goal in the 64th minute. The match seemed to be concluding in a draw, however, veteran midfielder, Eduardo Bedia took a free-kick that slipped past the Red and Gold army’s defense line.
In the Gaurs’ first match of this Indian Super League season, they maintained greater possession of the ball and took multiple attempts at scoring a goal. However, the majority of the shots taken by them were unable to find the back of the net. Their finishing ability needs to improve. The team shows that they can work in sync.
East Bengal although not able to maintain greater possession, had the ability to thwart FC Goa’s repeated attempts at scoring. They have good defensive capabilities although they were quite evidently taken aback by the early goal they conceded. In the second half, they put additional effort into scoring and succeeded, but they also conceded another goal albeit during additional time. They need to coordinate their offense and defence to serve them at all times.
Squandered chances by NorthEast United FC
NorthEast United FC, despite their perseverance, struggled to win the laurels it so strongly needs. Hyderabad FC’s superior finishing ability showed a clear difference between the two sides. NorthEast United had a few very exploitable chances that they were unfortunately unable to utilise which would have changed the course of the match. On the other hand, the defending champions of the Indian Super League, Hyderabad FC showed a glimpse of their mettle, as they were able to produce multiple chances and able to guide the ball to the back of the net on three occasions, despite the valiant attempts of shot-stopper Arindam Bhattacharya. The 3-0 victory took Hyderabad to the top of the ISL table.
A victory like clockwork
Mumbai City FC gains the points they were after from their match against Odisha FC. Despite their valiant efforts, the Juggernauts were unable to find the back of the correct net. An ill-fated own goal and a goal by Bipin Singh, which was the final shot taken in the game, allowed Mumbai to waltz into a well-executed 2-0 victory.
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