All 12 teams in the Indian Super League sides were in action again over the week and saw intense competition before the world breaks for international football.
From the madness in Mumbai to the drama at the Fatorda and the dominance of the Mariners at the Marina Arena, the week had everything.
A Look At The Results From Matchweek 3 –
Bengaluru FC vs East Bengal: Bicycle Thief
Sunil Chhetri returned to club football and scored in just over 20 minutes of football for Bengaluru FC. Mahesh Singh had bypassed two defenders to slot home the opener for East Bengal barely minutes ago. In the second half, Javi Hernandez pulled off an acrobatic bicycle kick in the 72nd minute to hand Simon Grayson’s team their first win of the season.
Even though EBFC got many chances, East Bengal boss Carles Cuadrat did not want to pressurise his players. “I don’t want to stress my players. They know, and we have been working on that in the training (sessions). So, it’s not about putting pressure on them. It’s just all of us be it the club or the supporters; all of us have to understand that football is like this. Quality in the boxes makes the difference,” he said in the post-match press conference.
Jamshedpur FC vs Hyderabad FC: Welcome to the Furnace
The Men of Steel were buoyed by tremendous home support at the ‘Furnace’ as Jamshedpur FC got close-fought win over Hyderabad FC. Scott Cooper decided to change his striker and, in the end, Rei Tachikawa’s fantastic free-kick sealed the game. The 25-year-old had a relatively quiet game until the final 20 minutes. Come the last quarter of the match, the Japanese displayed superb technique to put the ball into the top left corner in the 76th minute.
After the match, Hyderabad FC head coach Thangboi Singto accepted that “playing Jamshedpur FC in Jamshedpur would always be tough. But until the third quarter of the game, I think we were still on.”
Punjab FC vs NorthEast United: Home Away from Home
Punjab FC, playing at home for the first time, surely felt they had stepped out for an away game in New Delhi. NorthEast United were playing in the capital. Parthib Gogoi scored another stunner but the game ended in a 1-1 draw after Melroy Assisi capitalised on a moment of miscommunication.
Punjab FC boss Staikos Vergetis opted to go for an Indian in goal as Ravi Kumar replaced Nepali Kiran Kumar Limbu, who managed to save Romain Philippoteaux’s penalty. The head coach was not happy with his side’s performance. “We have to analyze the game. As I said before, we have to identify the reasons why the team didn’t perform well. We cannot ignore the fact that the opponent team missed a penalty and hit the post before scoring their goal,” he said.
NorthEast United FC head coach, Juan Pedro Benali, on the other hand, is not ready to hail his young star Parthib, yet. “Don’t put him so high because when he falls down, it’s difficult to put him up again,” he said at the post-match press conference.
FC Goa vs Odisha FC: Yay! Jay
Jay Gupta is fast becoming a favourite of many. The pace, stability and calmness. He proved to be decisive as Sergio Lobera returned to the Fatorda. The game seemed to be heading towards a draw but Jay made the difference with his individual brilliance and that too in stoppage time. FC Goa pipped Odisha FC 3-2 with Mourtada Fall and Noah Sadaoui bagging a brace each for the Juggeranuts and Gaurs.
Lobera was not a happy man after conceding again in the closing minutes. “We are disappointed. Again, we are losing points in the last minutes like against Mumbai City FC (where) in the remaining two minutes we lost two points. Today, we lost three points.”
Chennaiyin FC vs Mohun Bagan Super Giant: Star Sahal
Mohun Bagan Super Giant looked dominant and perfectly managed a 3-1 win over Chennaiyin FC to make it three-in-three. Sahal Abdul Samad was the star of the night, playing crucial roles in all of Mohun Bagan’s goals and almost all of his passes finding his teammate. Dimitri Petratos and Jason Cummings scored in the first half as Rafael Crivellaro converted a free-kick after half-time only for the two-goal lead to be restored by Manvir Singh.
Chennaiyin FC remained without a point after three games and head coach Owen Coyle said he was disappointed. “We had two best chances at 0-0 to get in front and we didn’t take them. And that’s probably been the story of our three games. We had wonderful chances at Odisha and NorthEast to get in front, so we need to be clinical in front of goal,” Coyle said in the post-match press conference.
Mumbai City FC vs Kerala Blasters: Cut Throat Madness
Mumbai City FC pushed aside the Kerala Blasters’ challenge as the game was marred by violence in the closing moments. Jorge Diaz tapped in the opener from a goalkeeping error only for Danish Farooq to head in the equaliser for the Blasters in the second half. Apuia’s well-placed shot, following a miscued clearance, proved to be the winning goal.
A double-team on Rahul KP from Mehtab Singh and Yoell van Nieff meant Milos Drincic and Prabis Das came in for retribution. A brawl ensued with the referee showing red cards to Drincic and Van Nieff. Again in the closing seconds, Rostyn Griffiths hugged Praibr around the neck, with the latter ending the night in tears.
“We need to find different ways to win. And that fight, that aggression and determination especially on the back of what has been a long and tiring two-and-a-half weeks, was very good to see,” Des Buckingham said after the match.