Matchweek seven of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season witnessed entertaining and exciting results, resulting in quite some changes in the standings. All five matches ended in victories, with three ISL sides securing a win away from home.
Mumbai City FC thumps Bengaluru FC to continue its invincible form and stay at the top of the table. Odisha made a brilliant comeback in the second half against East Bengal to stun the hosts.
Chennaiyin FC defeated Jamshedpur FC with contributions from the super subs. Kerala Blasters FC won against previously-unbeatable Hyderabad FC in a hard-fought win. Whereas, Lackluster ATK Mohun Bagan got their first taste of defeat in history against FC Goa.
With yet another match week coming to a close, here are the key takeaways from Matchweek 7;
Rampant Mumbai City FC win 4-0 as Bengaluru FC’s misery deepens
Two goals in two halves helped Mumbai City FC ease past Bengaluru FC in the ISL at the Mumbai Football Arena in Mumbai, on Thursday. Jorge Diaz and Lalengmawia Ralte scored in the first half, while Bipin Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte sealed a comfortable 4-0 win for the Islanders in the second half.
Diaz struck in the 14th minute to put the hosts in front, as he pinched the ball from Alan Costa who was caught napping in defense. The Argentinian striker took the ball off Costa’s feet, advanced towards the goal, and slotted it past a rooted Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. The Islanders doubled their advantage in the 32nd minute. Greg Stewart’s low cross from the right went past Bipin Singh and found an unmarked Apuia. The midfielder had plenty of time and room in the box as he took a couple of touches before smashing it into the net.
In the 58th minute, Rahul Bheke’s long ball from defense caught the Bengaluru FC backline off-guard. Diaz skipped the offside trap and found himself in a one-on-one situation with the keeper. The striker unselfishly squared the ball to Bipin, who tapped it into an empty net to make it three for the Islanders. The hosts then fired in their fourth of the evening in the 74th minute. Diaz’s pass was deflected by Sandesh Jhingan and found its way into Chhangte’s path. The winger wrapped his boot around it and placed it perfectly into the top left corner of the goal to wrap it all up.
The win takes Mumbai City FC within one point of Hyderabad FC, who are sitting at the top with a game in hand. The Islanders will play NorthEast United FC in Guwahati next on November 25, Friday. Bengaluru FC’s goal difference has dropped them down to tenth in the table with four points. The Blues will travel to Fatorda to play FC Goa on November 26, Saturday.
Odisha FC stun East Bengal FC with second-half comeback
Odisha FC recorded their third comeback win of the season as they beat East Bengal FC 4-2 in the ISL at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata, today. Half-time substitute Pedro Martin bagged a brace to restore parity three minutes after coming on. Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Nandhakumar Sekar wrapped up the three points later on. Thongkhosiem Haokip and Naorem Singh had put East Bengal 2-0 up in the first half.
Midway through the first half, Haokip broke the deadlock. Jordan O’Doherty’s through ball from the halfway line caught Odisha FC’s high back-line off-guard as Suhair skipped the offside trap before teeing up Haokip from the right flank. The forward calmly tapped the ball into an empty net in the 23rd minute. The Torch Bearers doubled their advantage 12 minutes later. Charis Kyriakou did well to win the ball in midfield before Cleiton Silva flicked the ball on for Suhair. This time the winger whipped a low cross in from the left flank as Naorem darted in to score.
In the 47th minute, Pedro, who came on for Isaac, was played through by Mauricio before smashing it in with his first touch after coming on. A minute later, substitute Denechandra Meitei’s cross was headed back across goal by Mauricio and headed into the back of the net by Pedro again. The comeback was complete in the 65th minute.
Meitei whipped another good cross into the box as Mawihmingthanga headed it in from close range at the far post to give his side the lead. The Juggernauts established a two-goal cushion after Saul Crespo’s long diagonal found Sekar on the left flank. The winger beat substitute Sarthak Golui before smashing in Odisha’s fourth and final goal of the night from a tight angle in the 76th minute.
Three points lift Odisha FC up into third in the table, three off Mumbai City FC, with a game in hand. The Juggernauts will host Chennaiyin FC next on November 24, Thursday. East Bengal FC remains in eighth place and will travel to Jamshedpur for their next game on November 27, Sunday.
Super-subs fire Chennaiyin FC to victory against Jamshedpur FC
Chennaiyin FC earned their first victory at home this season with a 3-1 win over Jamshedpur FC in the ISL at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Saturday. Petar Sliskovic broke the deadlock in the first half before Ishan Pandita equalized in the final quarter. Substitutes Vincy Baretto and Abdenasser El Khayati struck late for the Marina Machans as Jamshedpur fell to their third consecutive loss for the first time since the 2020-21 season.
Jamshedpur FC went behind in the 27th minute. Julius Duker played a through ball to Dhas, who galloped forward in acres of space before getting his shot away. The midfielder’s attempt was parried by the keeper straight to Sliskovic, who stayed alert and headed the ball home from close range. The game burst into life in the final quarter of the match. In the 76th minute, Sawyer flicked the ball on with his head toward the box as Pandita met it with a well-struck volley to level the score.
The score did not last long as Chennaiyin substitutes – El Khayati and Baretto – combined in the very next minute to put the Marina Machans ahead again. El Khayati whipped in a cross from the left flank and Baretto took it on the volley with his first touch of the match. There was enough time for El Khayati to bag a goal for himself – the Dutch midfielder sold a dummy to Peter Hartley before slotting the ball in at the near post five minutes from time to wrap up the win.
Chennaiyin FC’s first home win of the campaign sees them move from seventh to fifth with 10 points on the board. They will travel to Odisha for their next game on November 24, Thursday. Jamshedpur FC has now lost three games in a row and is 9th on the points table. They return home for their next game against East Bengal FC on November 27, Sunday.
Kerala Blasters end Hyderabad FC’s unbeaten run with a hard-fought win
Kerala Blasters ended Hyderabad FC’s unbeaten run in this season’s ISL with a hard-fought 1-0 victory at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium, in Hyderabad, on Saturday. Dimitrios Diamantakos (‘18) scored the only goal of the game to take the Kerala Blasters to third place in the league.
Kerala Blasters took the lead thanks to some excellent work from Adrian Luna in the build-up to the goal in the 18th minute. The Uruguayan found some space in the pockets, before playing an ambitious lobbed pass into the path of an onrushing Nishu Kumar. Hyderabad FC’s Anuj Kumar came charging out of his line to prevent the ball from reaching Nishu Kumar, but his push wasn’t strong enough and went straight into the path of Dimitrios Diamantakos, who slammed the ball into the net.
Hyderabad FC’s best chance of the game came just before the half-time whistle was blown. Bartholomew Ogbeche, the leading goalscorer in Hero ISL history, did not get the right contact on his header after finding himself free on the far post from a free-kick at the edge of the box.
Hyderabad FC had most of the possession in the first half, but the away side was solid at the back and limited the defending champions to half chances for most of the half. The second half started with both teams looking a bit more open. Hyderabad FC was pushing men forward as they continued to get the goal but just couldn’t manufacture a great chance. Meanwhile, Kerala Blasters looked eager to get the second goal.
The Nizams will be heading to the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata next week to face ATK Mohun Bagan, whereas Kerala Blasters will be heading to the JRD Tata Sports Complex in Jamshedpur to face Jamshedpur FC.
FC Goa leaps into third place with a first-ever win against ATK Mohun Bagan
After losing three and drawing one against ATK Mohun Bagan FC in all previous encounters, FC Goa finally registered their first victory against the Mariners in the ISL at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, in Goa, on Sunday. Aibanbha Dohling, Mohamed Fares Arnaout, and Noah Wail Sadaoui were on target to spoil Juan Ferrando’s return to Fatorda with a 3-0 win.
The first half was action-packed and ended with everything but goals. In the opening seven minutes of the game, ATK Mohun Bagan FC’s shot-stopper Vishal Kaith produced four saves to keep a clean sheet intact for the visitors. It was a physical contest in midfield, as four yellow cards were dished out in the opening 45. Deepak Tangri, Manvir Singh, and Subhasish Bose had their names taken for the Mariners after committing cynical fouls. Brandon Fernandes was the only FC Goa player booked in the first half.
The 100th goal of Hero ISL 2022-23 was scored when the deadlock was finally broken five minutes into the second half. Dohling sprinted down the left flank to pounce on a long diagonal. The full-back muscled past Asish Rai, adjusted his footing, and smashed the ball in from an acute angle. A minute into the final quarter of the match, FC Goa added a second.
Substitute Fares Arnaout beat Brendan Hamill to the ball before heading an Edu Bedia corner in just 11 minutes after coming on. Eight minutes from time, poor goalkeeping from Kaith allowed substitute Sadaoui to score his fourth goal of the season from long range.
The win helped FC Goa leap from seventh to third in the Hero ISL table, three points shy of Mumbai City FC with a game in hand. ATK Mohun Bagan dropped one place to sixth, level on points with Chennaiyin FC. Both sides will be in action on November 26, Saturday. The Gaurs will be up against Bengaluru FC at home, while the Mariners will host Hyderabad FC.
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