Indian Super League
ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 NorthEast United: Report, Ratings & Reaction as the Mariners Ease Past the Highlanders
After an exciting clash between SC East Bengal and Odisha FC, the Indian Super League’s action continued on Sunday with a matchday 10 opener involving 2nd-placed ATK Mohun Bagan and 6th-placed NorthEast United. The Mariners were on a four-match unbeaten streak, while the away side had failed to win any of their last four. An intriguing battle was brewing, and here’s what we made of it: Report The first chance of the match came in the 18th minute after a cagey start as Carl McHugh got a free header from Edu García’s free-kick, but he missed high. ATK Mohun Bagan got into a few good crossing positions in the first half and delivered some good balls too, but they never really tested Gurmeet Singh with their headers, so it was comfortably goalless at the break. The Mariners finally took the le...
ATK Mohun Bagan 2-0 NorthEast United: Report, Ratings & Reaction as the Mariners Ease Past the Highlanders
After an exciting clash between SC East Bengal and Odisha FC, the Indian Super League’s action continued on Sunday with a matchday 10 opener involving 2nd-placed ATK Mohun Bagan and 6th-placed NorthEast United. The Mariners were on a four-match unbeaten streak, while the away side had failed to win any of their last four. An intriguing battle was brewing, and here’s what we made of it: Report The first chance of the match came in the 18th minute after a cagey start as Carl McHugh got a free header from Edu García’s free-kick, but he missed high. ATK Mohun Bagan got into a few good crossing positions in the first half and delivered some good balls too, but they never really tested Gurmeet Singh with their headers, so it was comfortably goalless at the break. The Mariners finally took the le...
Player Analysis: Jakub Sylvestr’s Link-Up Play
Following Chennaiyin FC’s hard-fought draw against ATK Mohun Bagan, Enes Sipović was doing post-match media duties. There, he was asked who the better striker was – Igor Angulo or Roy Krishna – since he had played against and contained both of them. He jokingly replied, “Jakub Sylvestr”, a response that many may not have taken seriously since the Slovakian forward has only netted the solitary goal this season, whereas Angulo and Krishna have eight and five respectively. However, Jakub Sylvestr is a different kind of forward to Igor Angulo and Roy Krishna, he is a playmaking striker. Usually, a striker is supposed to be the recipient of a playmaker’s work, as is the case with Angulo and Krishna, but Sylvestr is a rare exception to this. A good comparison to Sylvestr this season would be Har...
Chennaiyin FC 0-0 ATK Mohun Bagan: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Both Sides Take a Point From an Intense Clash
The penultimate Indian Super League fixture of 2020 was somewhat of a repeat of last season’s final, as 7th-placed Chennaiyin FC took on 2nd-placed ATK Mohun Bagan. Both sides were in decent form, as the Marina Machans were unbeaten in their last three games and the Mariners won their last two matches, but one of those runs was sure to end tonight. A tasty fixture was in store, and here’s what we made of it: Report Chennaiyin FC looked very nervous in the opening stages, but they had the first big chance in the 5th minute of the match when Jakub Sylvestr brilliantly slipped Rafael Crivellaro in behind the defence with a reverse pass, but he failed to beat Arindam Bhattacharya at his near post from close range. Three minutes later, Lallianzuala Chhangte had a look from the left of the ...
ISL Matchday 9 Preview: Chennaiyin Face ATKMB, Hyderabad Brave the Gaurs & Much More
The ninth matchday of the Indian Super League kicks off tonight, and as ever, it’s packed with some exciting matches, including a couple of big ones between Chennaiyin FC and ATK Mohun Bagan, and Hyderabad FC and FC Goa. Here’s all you need to know before matchday 9: Bengaluru FC vs Jamshedpur FC Matchday 9 kicks off with 3rd-placed Bengaluru FC, who face 6th-placed Jamshedpur FC. Last Results: Bengaluru suffered a defeat at the hands of ATK Mohun Bagan because of the only goal of the match. Jamshedpur suffered a very unlucky 1-2 loss against FC Goa despite Stephen Eze’s opener. Head-to-Head: Six matches have been played between these two teams, and every possible outcome has appeared twice each. Most recently, it was Bengaluru who prevailed in a 2-0 victory in January. What This Could Mea...
Scout Report: What Roland Alberg Can Bring to Hyderabad FC
Hyderabad FC have confirmed the signing of midfielder Roland Alberg from Dutch club Roda JC on a loan for the remainder of the season. 🚨 OFFICIAL! 🚨 🤝 Dutch Midfielder Roland Alberg agrees to join Hyderabad FC till the end of the 2020-21 season. #WelcomeAlberg #HarKadamNayaDum #HydKeHainHum #HyderabadFC 💛🖤 Find out more about @rolandalberg 👇https://t.co/L0Ze22bshH — Hyderabad FC (@HydFCOfficial) December 28, 2020 The 30-year-old Dutchman is a graduate of the AZ Alkmaar youth academy, in a batch including Iceland international Jóhann Berg Guðmundsson. He made his Eredivise debut with Excelisor, before moving to Turkey in 2013 to play for Elazığspor. He had a three-year stint with ADO Den Haag thereafter, followed by spells at Philadelphia Unio...
Bengaluru FC 0-1 Jamshedpur FC: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Owen Coyle’s Side Come Away With Another Steely Victory
The first clash of the Indian Super League’s matchday 9 saw Bengaluru FC, who were occupying the final spot in the table, take on 6th-placed Jamshedpur FC. Both sides lost their previous clashes, losing six-game long unbeaten runs in the process, so they were keen to come back strong. Carles Cuadrat had a point to prove in particular, as he had to show tactical adaptability to combat the loss of Ashique Kuruniyan. A very interesting clash was set to ensue, and here’s what we made of it: Report Just three minutes into the match, Kristian Opseth took a free-kick from a promising position. His effort cleared the wall and was on target, but Rehenesh was equal to it. Bengaluru FC came close to scoring again in the 10th minute when Suresh Singh Wangjam found Sunil Chhetri making a run down the m...
Scout Report: How Juande Will Fare as Cido’s Replacement for Kerala Blasters
One of the reasons for Kerala Blasters’ poor showing so far this season is the long-term injury that key midfielder Sergio Cidoncha suffered against Chennaiyin FC in late November. Now, over a month later, they have signed his replacement, Juan de Dios Prados López. The Spanish midfielder started his career aged 19 at Real Betis, before moving to Granada on loan six years later. After stints with lower-division sides including Spezia in Spain, Belgium and Italy, the 34-year-old midfielder travelled to Australia to play for Perth Glory in 2018, winning the Players’ Player of the Year Award in both of his seasons in the A-League. His next move sees him cross the ocean once again, but he’ll stop in India to join Kerala Blasters. Here is what we can expect from him in the ISL: Playing Style Ju...
Kerala Blasters 2-0 Hyderabad FC: Report, Ratings & Reaction as Kibu Vicuña’s Surprise Selection Sees His Side Get Their First Win
The final clash of the Indian Super League’s matchday 8 saw 9th-placed Kerala Blasters take on Hyderabad FC, who were just one spot above them in the table but six points clear. Kibu Vicuña’s side were still searching for their first victory of the season, while the Nizams were looking to get back to winning ways after seeing their unbeaten run end last time out. An interesting battle was set to ensue, and here’s what we made of it: Report Kerala Blasters started off well, but Hyderabad thought that they should have had a penalty in the first quarter of an hour when Nishu Kumar nudged Aridane in the box as the Spanish forward looked set to head a cross, but the referee saw nothing wrong. In the 29th minute, Abdul Nediyodath climbed highest as he attacked a corner and thumped his header hom...
SC East Bengal 2-2 Chennaiyin FC: Report, Ratings & Reaction as an Action-Packed Clash Sees East Bengal Earn Another Point
After a couple of days of festivities, the Indian Super League was back with an intriguing Boxing Day battle. Bottom-club SC East Bengal took on 8th-placed Chennaiyin FC, with both sides having sub-par season up to this point. A win was necessary for either party, but at least one was sure to be disappointed. A feisty clash ensued, and here’s what we made of it: Report East Bengal looked fairly competitive in the opening stages, but it was Chennaiyin FC who drew first blood in the 13th minute as Jakub Sylvestr played Lallianzuala Chhangte in behind the defence around the halfway line. The pacy winger only had Debjit Majumdar to beat, and he successfully did so by slotting below the keeper just as he dived to prevent him from scoring. https://t.co/1x66eWQJUn pic.twitter.com/R4r7u9Qopf — Lak...
Odisha FC 2-2 NorthEast United: Report, Ratings &; Reaction as the Spoils are Shared After a Proper End-to-End Affair
The second clash of the Indian Super League’s matchday 8 was quite an interesting one, as bottom-club Odisha FC faced NorthEast United, who were 4th in the table. Stuart Baxter’s men were still searching for their first win of the season and had lost each of their last four matches, and NorthEast weren’t too happy going into the match either having seen their unbeaten run come to an end last time out against Jamshedpur FC. A tasty fixture was set to ensue, and here’s what we made of it: Report NorthEast United came extremely close to opening the scoring when Kwesi Appiah brilliantly controlled a long ball from Federico Gallego and got there before the defender to fire a shot, but it was saved by the rushing Arshdeep Singh. Eight minutes later at the other end, a free-kick caused all sorts ...
ATK Mohun Bagan 1-0 Bengaluru FC: Report, Ratings & Reaction as the Mariners Grind Out Another Victory Over Cuadrat’s Blues
The Indian Super League’s matchday 8 got underway with an absolute cracker, as 2nd-placed ATK Mohun Bagan faced Bengaluru FC, who were just a spot below them in the table and had the only remaining unbeaten record in the league. Both sides had won their last match, but at least one of them wasn’t going to be able to repeat that. The stage was set for a huge match, and here’s what we made of it: Report ATK Mohun Bagan looked much more expressive in this match, but it was Bengaluru who had the first notable chance about 20 minutes in when Gurpreet Singh Sandhu punted a cleared set-piece back into the box, where Erik Paartalu was lurking, but the midfielder headed straight into the arms of Arindam Bhattacharya. A couple of minutes later, Subhasish Roy drilled a ball into the box for Manvir Si...
