Tag: ISL

This season, the Kerala Blasters have not dropped a game while Dimitrios Diamantakos has scored. They defeated a rusty Mohun Bagan 1-0 at Salt Lake Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Wednesday, and it was to be no different. It was the Manjappada team’s maiden triumph against the Kolkata team.

In the first half, Mohun Bagan failed to muster a single shot due to Kochi’s impressive dominance. Despite having the better of the possession, they were helpless against Marko Leskovic’s Kerala defence.

In contrast, Diamantakos scored in just nine minutes after defeating Vishal Kaith. In the quest for the Golden Boot, it enabled him to defeat Jorge Pereyra Diaz, his former teammate.

But in the second half, Bagan made a strong comeback, throwing waves of attempts at the KBFC goal face. Up to the very last second, Dimitri Petratos and company continuously threatened Leskovic and Milos Drincic. But the opposition held firm and fielded a large defence to preserve their advantage. For the majority of the second half, KBFC stayed back and only moved forward when less dangerous counterattack possibilities presented themselves.

Rahul KP, a winger for the Blasters, was given a yellow card in the penultimate minute of extra time for a careless challenge. The following game he will be absent.

Top-ranked KBFC now has 26 games from 12 games, which is three more than FC Goa, which also has three games remaining.

Punjab FC defeated Chennaiyin FC 1-0 on Monday at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi, ending a 10-match wait for their first-ever Indian Super League (ISL) victory.

The ISL rookies had gone dangerously close to winning multiple times already, but on a cold night in front of their home supporters in the nation’s capital, their moment of reckoning finally arrived. For this accomplishment, Staikos Vergetis can thank Madih Talal, his 26-year-old French attacking midfielder.

Throughout the entire game, Talal caused havoc for the Marina Machans by frequently breaching their defence from various angles and attempting shots at goalkeeper Debjit Majumder. But Connor Shields’ relatively simple opportunity to score from close range could have saved Owen Coyle & Co. had Jordan Murray’s squared-up pass to him in the 14th minute. The Scottish striker, who had not scored in Chennaiyin FC’s previous six games, failed to hit the mark, and Talal punished the visitors by showcasing his inventiveness for the remainder of the match.

Initially, he entered the box from the right side, slipped past the Chennaiyin FC defence, and fired directly at Majumder. Then Talal attempted to head the rebound into the net, but Sarthak Golui made a vital clearance across the goal line. After 16 minutes, Suresh Meitei, a defender for Punjab FC, moved forward near the Chennaiyin FC box. He used his quick feet to control the ball and then passed it to Talal in the centre of the 18-yard box. Despite the Frenchman’s close-range overhead strike and slight lob, the ball unfortunately deflected off the goalposts.

But his efforts wouldn’t be in vain because the Chennaiyin FC defence started to closely monitor the midfield player. That pulled them away from other players in Punjab FC, giving their frontline yards extra space to work with. Finally, in the 56th minute of play, Talal scored a move that exuded class.

The entire stadium erupted as he dashed into the Chennaiyin FC box from the right flank once more and stopped his shot with such force that Majumder was floored at the near post. On the touchline, Vergetis exhaled a sigh of relief as his team, strengthened by the addition of workhorses like Brandon Vanlalremdika and Krishnananda Singh, among others, covered every blade of grass until the final whistle blew to hold fast to their lead.

Talal had a fantastic game, finishing 76% of his 42 passes, making seven crosses, creating three goal-scoring opportunities, drawing seven fouls, intercepting one, and scoring the crucial goal that gave Punjab FC their first-ever ISL victory.