Jamshedpur, Jharkhand: Jamshedpur FC ended their Hero Indian Super League campaign on an impressive note as they schooled an inexperienced Bengaluru FC team 5-1 at the JRD Tata Sports Complex here on Wednesday.

Bengaluru FC took the lead through Semboi Haokip (16’), only for Augustin Fernandes (45’) to level terms at the break. But Jamshedpur turned on the style in an incredible second-half display to seal a dominant win, with goals from Michael Soosairaj (54’), Pablo Morgado (56’,57’) and Carlos Calvo (61’).

Bengaluru, who had rested several key first-team players ahead of the playoffs, ended the league stage with 34 points at the top of the table. Jamshedpur finishes fifth with 27 points at the end of their campaign.

In a match that got off to a slightly sedate start, it were Bengaluru’s heavily-rotated team that took the lead.

Jamshedpur pushed forward early on but were unable to get the better of the visitors’ backline. But a school-boy error from the Jamshedpur defence helped Bengaluru take the lead. Goalkeeper Subrata Paul and Augustin Fernandes were slow to react to a lob by Xisco Hernandez, and with confusion prevailing who should clear the danger, Haokip chased it down and slotted home to score his first goal of the season.

Bengaluru almost went 2-0 up in the 25th minute. Haokip sent Edmund Lalrindika clear into the box and Tiri was adjudged to have brought down the player in the box. Xisco stepped up to take the penalty but his poor attempt was saved by Subrata.

The Blues looked to stay on top as the first half wore on but were pegged back just before the break. Jerry Mawihmingthanga’s through-ball found Dhanachandra Singh inside the box. But Bengaluru goalkeeper Soram Poirei made a complete mess of his attempted save and fumbled with the ball. Augustin Fernandes got to the loose ball first and found the net from an acute angle to make amends.

Jamshedpur started from where they stopped after restart. The Bengaluru defence looked clueless against their opposition’s renewed vigour. And an incredible three-minute period saw Jamshedpur score three goals.

In the 56th minute, Memo found Soosairaj on the left flank who cut inside and curled a right-footed shot into the top corner, giving Poirei no chance. Almost immediately, Calvo’s inch-perfect cross from the right wing was met by an unmarked Morgado in the centre of the box who netted an easy header.

In the 57th minute, Jerry’s low cross found Morgado in the box and the striker shimmied his way into the centre before slotting the ball home from close-range.

The inexperienced Bengaluru backline crumbled under pressure and conceded another goal after the hour-mark. A brilliant free-kick by Calvo from the edge of the box could not be kept out by Poirei as Jamshedpur established a four-goal lead.

Things turned from bad to worse for the shell-shocked visitors in the 68th minute. Gursimrat fouled Morgado as both players contested an aerial ball and picked up his second yellow card.

Jamshedpur had several chances towards the end to score more goals but eventually the game ended 5-1.

(ISL Media)

Pune, Maharashtra: Delhi Dynamos FC scored a resounding 3-1 victory against ten-man FC Pune City to make it six games without a defeat in a Hero Indian Super League clash at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex here on Sunday.

Lallianzuala Chhangte (17’) gave Delhi the lead before a solo strike by Nikhil Poojary (23’) brought Pune level. Romeo Fernandes’ deflected effort (29’) and Daniel Lalhlimpuia’s second-half strike (52’) sealed the points for the hosts.

Delhi and Pune remain eighth and seventh on the table respectively with one more game left in the season. Josep Gombau’s men have taken their tally to 18 points.

Pune searched for an early breakthrough and had the Delhi backline in trouble twice in the first 10 minutes. Marcelinho’s corner was nodded wide by Matt Mills from the centre of the box in the third minute.

Three minutes later, Nikhil Poojary caused the defenders to stand off as he surged forward into the opposition’s territory but the winger chose to chip the goalkeeper and over-hit a shot above the bar.

As Pune pressed forward, Delhi picked and chose their forays. In the 17th minute, a throw-in from the right flank helped the visitors carve their opponents open, as Daniel released Romeo down the right. The winger delivered an excellent cross into the centre where Chhangte slammed the ball into the net.

A moment of individual brilliance allowed Pune to equalise in the 23rd minute. Nikhil cut in from the right flank and curled a delightful shot into the top right corner of the net to draw level.

An open-ended game produced half-chances for both teams but it were Delhi who regained their lead in the 30th minute, once again from the right flank. Ulises Davila punted the ball to Romeo whose cross from the right took a deflection off Sahil Panwar’s legs and looped into the net over goalkeeper Kamaljit Singh.

Despite the early promise for Pune in the second session, it were the visitors who scored in the 52nd minute and extended their lead through an excellent passing move. Gianni Zuiverloon played a one-two with Adria Carmona to get into the box, passed to his left for Ulises Davila to slam the ball at the goalkeeper. Daniel got to the rebound first and slotted it home.

The visiting side refused to sit back after taking the two-goal lead. Davila, who led the line well throughout the game, missed two chances to score as the second-half moved to a close.

Things turned from bad to worse for the hosts as Marcelinho picked up a second yellow card and was sent-off in the 90th minute. The forward caught Dorronsoro as he tried to latch onto a ball in behind the defence and raised his elbow against Marti Crespi as the defender confronted the striker over his poor challenge.

(ISL Media)

Kolkata, West Bengal: A Moudou Sougou hat-trick was enough for Mumbai City FC to drub ATK 3-1 and confirm a spot in the Hero Indian Super League playoffs at the Yuba Bharati Krirangan Stadium here on Friday.

After three matches without a goal, Modou Sougou (26’, 39’, 60’) returned to the scoresheet with an excellent performance. Andre Bikey headed in a consolation in the 67th minute, but the hosts could not find a way back into the game and are now out of the reckoning.

The win takes Mumbai to the third spot on the table with 30 points while ATK remain sixth.

A midfield battle ensued in the first half as both teams looked to keep possession of the ball. ATK started the half well but Mumbai soon stamped their authority, showing efficiency in the attacking third.

Pranjal Bhumij skipped past his marker on the left flank and crossed into the centre for Sougou in the 21st minute. The Senegalese’s first touch took Arnab Mondal out of the equation, but Andre Bikey tackled the ball off his feet before the striker could find the net from close-range.

However, Sougou managed to get the better of the ATK defence in the 26th minute. Paulo Machado won the ball in Mumbai’s half and initiated a counter-attack from the right. Bhumij received the ball forward and lobbed it behind the ATK defenders to find Sougou’s run into the box and the striker placed the ball into the net past Arindam Bhattacharya.

Mumbai hit ATK with an incisive counter-attack yet again. Edu Garcia gave the ball away outside the Mumbai box and Souvik Chakrabarty released Issoko down the right flank in the 39th minute. The winger found Sougou in the center of the box with a delightful cross and the forward made no mistake from close-range to double Mumbai’s lead.

ATK went close just before the break. Mumbai custodian Amrinder Singh was forced to pull off a finger-tip save to parry away Kalu Uche’s shot from inside the box.

Uche had another chance but failed to beat Amrinder from close-range and allowed the defence to clear.

At the hour-mark, Paulo Machado released Sougou in behind the ATK defence and the Senegalese striker scored his 12th goal of the season with an emphatic finish to put the ball beyond the reach of Arindam.

ATK pushed players forward in search of a way back into the game. Pritam Kotal delivered a good cross into the centre of the box and Bikey’s powerful header found the net in the 67th minute.

With no end product to show for their efforts, the hosts succumbed to a defeat at the hand of an efficient Mumbai who converted their chances.

(ISL Media)

Bengaluru, Karnataka: Ten-man Bengaluru FC flexed their muscles and sealed a spot at the top of the table in the Hero Indian Super League with a 3-0 win against FC Goa at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium here on Thursday.

Full-back Nishu Kumar received his second yellow card and was sent for an early bath in the 42nd minute. Down to 10 men, Bengaluru produced a brilliant second-half performance to pick up all three points as Juanan (50’), Udanta Singh (58’) and Miku (69’) wrote their name on the scoresheet.

The win sees Bengaluru assured of finishing top of the league for a second consecutive season while FC Goa will be disappointed at not pressing home their numerical advantage.

FC Goa looked to be the better team in the opening session but the tables turned in the second.

The hosts were given an early scare when Ahmed Jahouh stole the ball off Dimas Delgado’s feet in the midfield and unleashed a piledriver at the goal that ricocheted back off the inside of the post.

Bengaluru also had a chance when Miku and Dimas combined brilliantly in the 20th minute but the scoreline remained unchanged thanks to an alert Mourtada Fall. The defender stuck with Miku as he tried to get a show away after Dimas’ excellent lob, allowing Naveen Kumar to collect what turned out to be a tame effort.

Bengaluru were dealt a blow just before the break after the referee showed a second yellow card to Nishu Kumar for dissent. The full-back, after bringing down Jackichand Singh, was punished for his frustration as the referee awarded a free-kick to Goa.

Despite going down to 10 men, the hosts nearly scored at the stroke of half-time when Harmanjot Khabra forced a brilliant save from Naveen Kumar.

Despite the numerical disadvantage, Bengaluru started the second half on the front foot and took the lead within five minutes. Xisco Hernandez delivered an excellent cross into the centre of the box and the ball fell for Juanan. The defender chested the ball and lashed a volley into the top corner.

The hosts piled the pressure on the visitors and showed no signs of holding back despite. In the 58th minute, Dimas gained possession of the ball in midfield and played Udanta Singh behind the defence with a delightful through-ball. The Indian winger raced into the box and with just the goalkeeper to beat, finished with aplomb to double his team’s lead.

Goa took risks and pressed further up the field to try and get back into the game. Brandon latched onto Edu Bedia’s ball into the box in the 66th minute but his effort was denied by the crossbar.

Bengaluru exploited the space at the other end and added to their tally minutes later. Dimas found Miku in space at the edge of the box. The Venezuelan beat the Goa goalkeeper with a terrific long-range strike to score his first ISL goal after a long injury lay-off and end Bengaluru’s two-match losing streak.

(ISL Media)

Guwahati, Assam: NorthEast United FC will have to wait till the conclusion of their league engagements to know if they have qualified for the Hero Indian Super League play-offs.

They could have sealed a place among the top four with a victory but could only manage a 1-1 draw against FC Pune City in a closely-fought clash at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium here on Wednesday.

Rowllin Borges’ 47th-minute strike looked to have given them three points and a spot in the play-offs. But Pune responded well and equalised though Adil Khan who slammed home a volley in the 69th minute before NorthEast were reduced to 10-men after Jose Leudo was sent off for violent conduct.

The result sees Pune’s mathematical chances of reaching the play-offs snuffed out while NorthEast, placed third with 28 points, will have to win the concluding league clash against Kerala Blasters.

NorthEast United dominated possession in the early stages but it were Pune who got the first shot on target. NorthEast goalkeeper Pawan Kumar was forced to keep out Jonathan Vila’s strike in the 13th minute.

The Highlanders raised the tempo as the clock ticked on and broke the deadlock soon after the restart. In the 47th minute, Khawlhring fired the ball into the feet of Bartholomew Ogbeche who laid it off for Borges inside the box. Pune custodian Kamaljit Singh came off his line to collect the ball but palmed it back into the path of Borges who slotted the ball into an empty net.

Pune rallied after that goal and used the wide areas to good effect as they put pressure in the attacking third to find a way back into the game.

Ashique Kuruniyan delivered an excellent cross from the left wing to find Adil unmarked inside the box. The midfielder smashed a cracking volley into the net, pulling his side level in the 69th minute.

Hume came close to scoring his first goal for Pune in the 80th minute. A long throw-in by Sarthak Golui was mistakenly headed into the path of the striker by Janeiler Rivas but the Canadian’s shot from close-range struck the post and went out.

Hume’s misfortune in front of goal continued as Diego Carlos found the striker in the centre of the box with a splendid cross from the right flank. The striker sneaked in behind the defence but headed the ball over the bar.

A red card to Leudo late in the game made matters worse for NorthEast United who struggled to impact the game as the second half wore on. The midfielder caught Carlos with his elbow in the 89th minute and was shown a straight red. However, Schattorie’s side held on to end Pune’s hopes, while leaving themselves with plenty to do in the concluding clash.

(ISL Media)

Margao, Goa: FC Goa became the second Hero Indian Super League (ISL) side to book their place in the play-offs after a convincing 3-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC here at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium on Monday evening.

Quickfire goals in the first half from Ferran Corominas (22’) and Edu Bedia (25′) and a third by Hugo Boumous (78′) helped the hosts do the double over the Kerala outfit in the season.

To make the result all the more sweeter, the Gaurs have leapfrogged Bengaluru FC to go top of the table. Goa has 31 points from 16 games same as Bengaluru FC but with a better goal difference now occupies table top position. On other hand, Kerala Blasters, remain ninth after slumping to their seventh loss of the season.

FC Goa were on the money right from the start as Jackichand Singh threatened the Kerala defence as he twisted and turned the likes of Lalruatthara and Anas Edathodika on a couple of occasions. One of his efforts did beat Dheeraj Singh but came off the woodwork, much to Kerala’s relief.

Kerala then found the back of the net through Slavisa Stojanovic after a quick interplay with Matej Poplatnik. However, the linesman had his flag raised after Courage Pekuson was deemed to be in an offside position.

Goa got a deserved breakthrough midway into the first half through Ferran Corominas. Brandon Fernandes’ cross from the left was headed home with ease by the Spaniard after he was afforded a lot of space inside the box by Anas Edathodika and Sandesh Jhingan.

In the 25th minute, Edu Bedia doubled the lead by slotting the ball into an empty net. This was after Anas sent a back-pass to Dheeraj whose clearance was straight at Corominas. The Spaniard took a touch and laid the ball on a platter for Bedia who applied the finishing touch to make matters worse for the visitors.

Goa continued to see more of the ball with Kerala struggling to create any opportunity of note.

However, the first chance in the second half fell to Kerala when Sahal Samad let loose from outside the box which finally forced a save from Goa custodian Naveen Kumar. But that was about it for Kerala, with Goa exerting control.

Before the hour mark, Ahmed Jahouh sent a brilliant ball over the top for Corominas who made a bustling run and managed to get beyond Anas and Dheeraj only for a last-ditch tackle from Poplatnik to avert the danger.

Jahouh could have added his name on the score-sheet with a long-range effort which went inches wide of Dheeraj’s goal.

Goa sealed the victory in the 78th minute when the substitute Hugo Boumous dribbled past a couple of players and evaded the challenge from Jhingan to beat Dheeraj at his near post to make it 3-0.

There were late chances for Goa to increase their tally with Bedia seeing a wonderful lob over Dheeraj Singh come back off the post. However, Serio Lobera would not have been disappointed, having notched their fifth cleansheet in a row.

(ISL Media)