FC Goa beats NorthEast United to reclaim the top spot, while Hyderabad FC is still trying to get into grips with the Indian Super League.
Match no 33: ATK v/s NorthEast United (3-0)
Match 33: ATK reclaimed the top spot in the Indian Super League with an impressive 3-0 win against NorthEast United FC at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. An early strike from David Williams (11′) and a brace from Roy Krishna (35′, 90+4′) was enough for Antonio Habas’ team to hand NorthEast their first defeat of the season.
With the twin strikes taking his goal tally to six, Krishna also became the leading goalscorer of this season so far. With their fourth win of the campaign, ATK now have 14 points from seven matches while the Highlanders, who have 10 points, are placed fourth.
| Team | Played | Won | Lost | Draw | GF | GA | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ATK | 7 | 4 | 1 | 2 | 15 | 5 | 14 |
| Bengaluru FC | 7 | 3 | 0 | 4 | 7 | 2 | 13 |
| FC Goa | 7 | 3 | 1 | 3 | 13 | 8 | 12 |
| Jamshedpur Football Club | 6 | 3 | 1 | 2 | 8 | 6 | 11 |
| NorthEast United FC | 7 | 2 | 1 | 4 | 8 | 9 | 10 |
| Mumbai City FC | 7 | 1 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 13 | 7 |
| Odisha FC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 9 | 6 |
| Kerala Blasters FC | 7 | 1 | 3 | 3 | 6 | 8 | 6 |
| Chennaiyin FC | 6 | 1 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 10 | 5 |
| Hyderabad FC | 7 | 1 | 5 | 1 | 5 | 14 | 4 |
Star striker Asamoah Gyan could have put NorthEast ahead within two minutes when he chested down a brilliant lob over the defence by Rakesh Pradhan, but the Ghanaian’s shot was kept out well by goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya.
In the 11th minute, a lapse in concentration by the hosts’ defence allowed Williams to pounce and give ATK the lead. Prabir Das ran down the flank unmarked to latch onto Edu Garcia’s through-ball and found Williams at the far post with a cross. The in-form forward leapt over his marker to head the ball into the net.
Habas’ team continued to pose threats after the change of ends. Minutes into the second-half, Krishna missed a chance to score his second goal when Williams set him up in front of the goal following a two-on-one scenario. But the striker sent his effort wide with an empty net in front.
The creator then almost turned scorer when Williams got to Das’ pass into the box and unleashed a powerful strike that required strong hands from the goalkeeper.
ATK added another goal in injury time. Substitute Jobby Justin released Krishna into the space behind the backline and the Fijian striker’s neat finish found the net.
Match No 34: Hyderabad FC v/s FC Goa (0-1)
Match 34: Second half substitute Manvir Singh scored the winning goal for FC Goa against Hyderabad FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) match at GMC Balayogi Stadium.
Manvir Singh, who came in as a substitute in the 62nd minute, showed opportunism within six minutes when he positioned himself well for a corner off Brandon Fernandes from the right side. Realising that the tall Hyderabad’s Giles Barnes was right in front of him, Manvir leapt in the air, essayed a header which hit the turf and bounced into the top, right corner of the goal – leaving the home team custodian and captain Kamaljit Singh stunned.
It was a Goan show more or less in the second session with midfielder Hugo Boumous being all over the rival territory combining speed, skill and amazing ball control. He worked in tandem with Seiminlen Doungel and Edu Bedia and the trio had the liberty of a rock solid defence with Chinglensana Singh being exceptional. Though there was flashes of brilliance from Marcelinho and Mohammed Yasir, the team once again lacked cohesion and direction.
This article was originally published in Sportstar.com