Indian Super League

Clean sheet and two goals propel Mohun Bagan Super Giant to top of table

Mohun Bagan Super Giant extended their positive form with a 2-0 win over NorthEast United FC to move to the top of the table in the Indian Super League here on Sunday. Two sublime strikes from Manvir Singh and Liston Colaco in the second half gave the Mariners all three points. With this win, they also went top of the table with 23 points. The first real chance of the match came Mohun Bagan Super Giant's way when Liston Colaco struck the post in the 10th minute after beating a couple of defenders on his way before pulling the trigger. The opening goal came in the 65th minute when Manvir Singh made a beautiful cut in from the right flank before nestling the ball into the top left corner before the Highlanders' backline including Gurmeet could even react. The goal almost came against the run of play where the hosts were looking like the better team, especially in the second half. The goal saw a massive shift in momentum for the visitors as they held more possession and started creati

ISL 2024: Chhetri becomes oldest ISL hat-trick scorer in Bengaluru's win

The legendary Sunil Chhetri etched his name in the Indian Super League (ISL) record books on Saturday, becoming the oldest player to score a hat-trick in the league's history as he powered Bengaluru FC to a commanding 4-2 victory over Kerala Blasters. At 40 years and 126 days, Chhetri became the oldest hat-trick scorer in the ISL history, surpassing Bartholomew Ogbeche who did it for Hyderabad FC against FC Goa at 38 years and 96 days old in January 2023. The former India captain, who retired from international football earlier this year, struck in the 8th, 73rd and 90+8 minutes, while Ryan Williams scored the other goal for the Blues in the 38th minute. Jesus Jimenez (56th) and Freddy Lallawmawma (67th) were the goal scorers for Kerala Blasters. Bengaluru FC were clinical in converting the limited opportunities that they created, as four of their five shots on target resulted in goals. The duo of Chhetri and Williams were critical in helping the Blues take a 2-0 advantage in the

ISL 2024-25: Bengaluru FC aims to ride on unbeaten form to outwit FC Goa

Bengaluru FC and FC Goa are set to rekindle their animating rivalry when they clash during an Indian Super League (ISL) match here on Saturday. A battle of two former champions, they have had contrasting forms this season. However, given the amount of talented players in their arsenal, coupled with the rivalry, it is expected to be another thriller. While FC Goa is decent at home, it has been winless in its previous four home ties -- its longest such streak in the ISL. However, the Gaurs can take one positive from their head coach, Manolo Marquez, who has had an admirable record versus BFC, having not lost in an outing against the Blues in his eight face-offs. Bengaluru and East Bengal FC are the two teams that he has faced at least thrice so far in the ISL, but he is yet to lose. The Blues presently are on 16 points from six outings -- their second-best start to an ISL season - only behind the 2018-19 campaign when they finished atop the table. This season, they have won in five

'Will be a tough game against Chennaiyin FC' - Punjab FC's Leon Augustine

The 26-year-old is in his debut season with the club and has delivered energetic displays off the bench for the Shers so far.

ISL 24-25: Bengaluru FC bag 3-1 victory against Kerala Blasters FC

Bengaluru FC notched their fifth win of the Indian Super League with a clinical 3-1 victory against Kerala Blasters FC here on Friday. In an encounter where the Blues conceded their first goal of the campaign, they held their nerves and capitalised upon the openings to breakthrough the Kerala Blasters FC backline and inflict upon them a loss in front of a rousing home crowd. The Gerard Zaragoza-coached side laid the foundation of this incredible outing within the first 10 minutes of the clash. Argentine striker Jorge Pereyra Diaz has been a bundle of energy for them upfront in this season and it was his relentless high-press that handed them the integral lead in the eighth minute. As Kerala Blasters FC aimed to build attacks gradually from the back, Diaz charged up ahead with sheer pace to pressurise Pritam Kotal into losing the possession. The former Kerala Blasters forward then carefully dribbled the ball ahead and lobbed it over goalkeeper Som Kumar to get his team ahead in the

ISL 2024: Bengaluru FC and Punjab FC face off in top-of-the-table clash

Early high-flyers Bengaluru FC and Punjab FC will face off in a top-of-the-table clash of the Indian Super League here on Friday, both looking to outdo each other in the battle for supremacy. BFC will have the home crowd backing them at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Last season's 10th and 8th-place finishers, respectively, these two sides have defied expectations to emerge as frontrunners in the ongoing campaign. Notably, they are the only teams yet to suffer a defeat in this edition, making this clash even more significant. Under the tactical guidance of Gerard Zaragoza, Bengaluru FC started the season in impeccable fashion, achieving defensive solidity with four consecutive clean sheets -- a record-equalling feat in ISL history. Their last season's struggles seem like a distant memory as the team has found a perfect balance in both defence and attack. They have scored 3 plus goals in their last two home games. If they manage to repeat this against Punjab FC, it will mark their .

East Bengal football club appoints Spaniard Oscar Bruzon as new head coach

Spanish football manager Oscar Bruzon, renowned for leading Bangladeshi outfit Bashundhara Kings to five consecutive league titles, has been appointed as the head coach of East Bengal FC, the club announced on Tuesday. "I am determined to make the most of this opportunity and fully understand the goals set by the East Bengal management," said the 47-year-old in an East Bengal statement. "It's a privilege and a massive responsibility to manage a historical institution like East Bengal." Bruzon's appointment comes during the international break, just two weeks before the highly-anticipated ISL derby clash against Mohun Bagan on October 19. East Bengal are currently struggling in the league, having lost their first four matches, three of which came under the previous coach, Carles Cuadrat, who parted ways with the club. Cuadrat had a successful last season, winning the Super Cup that had ended their 12-year trophy drought. Bino George served as interim coach during their last outing

Mohun Bagan refuses to travel to Iran, to be considered withdrawn from ACL

Mohun Bagan Super Giant are considered to have withdrawn from the AFC Champions League 2 after the Kolkata side decided against travelling to Iran to face Tractor FC, the continental body AFC said on Monday, pending further decision on the matter. Keeping their players' "safety and security" in mind, Mohun Bagan Super Giant had last month decided against travelling to Iran for the October 2 match owing to the volatile situation that prevailed in the west Asian nation at that time. "In accordance with Article 5.2 of AFC Champions League 2 2024/25 Competition Regulations, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) confirms that India's Mohun Bagan Super Giant are considered to have withdrawn from the ACL 2 competition after the club failed to report to Tabriz ... against Tractor FC on October 2, 2024," the AFC said. "Consequently, all matches played by Mohun Bagan SG are cancelled and considered null and void in accordance with Article 5.6 of Competition Regulations. For the avoidance of

ISL 2024: Mohun Bagan thrashes Mohammedan Sporting in Kolkata derby

Mohun Bagan completely crushed city rivals Mohammed Sporting riding on three first-half strikes from Jamie Maclaren, Subhasish Bose and Greg Stewart in the less fancied 'Kolkata Derby' here on Saturday. The reigning champions thus returned to winning ways before heading into the international break. The Mariners struck first through their Australian forward Maclaren in the eighth minute. The goal came from a corner as Maclaren headed in past Padam Chhetri after Stewart glided the ball in his path. Buoyed by the early goal, Jose Molina's men showed exceptional drive as they pressed Mohammedan Sporting and forced them to make errors in midfield. Mohun Bagan kept pushing for more goals as they showed impeccable fluidity between their attacking quartet of Liston Colaco, Manvir Singh, Maclaren and Stewart. They were eventually rewarded when Stewart's freekick found Subhasish in the penalty area. The experienced defender came up with a thumping header to double the lead for the hosts in

ISL: Borja Herrera's late goal helps FC Goa rescue a point against NEUFC

Borja Herrera scored a stoppage time goal, forcing NorthEast United FC to share the spoils with FC Goa as the two sides played out a scintillating 3-3 draw in Indian Super League here on Friday. Besides Herrera, Armando Sadiku netted two goals for Goa while Nestor Albiach, who also scored a brace, and Alaeddine Ajaraei were the scorers for NorthEast United. Both teams went hammer and tongs with their respective frontline while the defenders had a tough day in office. The Highlanders started the game on the front foot courtesy of their extremely flexible attack, with Jithin MS, Alaeddine Ajaraie, and Nestor Albiach all interchanging positions. They were rewarded for the bright start as Nestor ran into the FC Goa penalty box like a hot knife through butter before nestling the ball into the back of the net in the sixth minute. In the 45th minute, the hosts earned a penalty after Mohammed Ali Bemammer brought down Drazic in the danger area. Sadiku shouldered the responsibility of taki

AIFF overturns NEUFC player Asheer Akhtar's red card, downgrades to yellow

The All India Football Federation's disciplinary committee on Wednesday upheld a wrongful dismissal claim by NorthEast United FC on behalf of defender Asheer Akhtar. In accordance with the decision, the committee has rescinded the red card shown to Akhtar, and downgraded it to a caution (yellow card) "for reckless play nature as suggested concerning the technical report". Akhtar was sent off in NorthEast United FC's Indian Super League match against Kerala Blasters at the Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Sunday. The committee, in its decision, stated, "After reviewing the documents submitted by the player and on basis of the technical report given by the chief refereeing officer (Trevor Kettle), the wrongful dismissal review panel has unanimously agreed that the player was incorrectly sent off for serious foul play. The committee expressed its view that "the player was wrongfully dismissed", and that it "upholds the claim filed by the club on behalf of the player".

ISL 2024-25: FC Goa aim first home points against NorthEast United FC

FC Goa will look to continue their winning momentum and secure their first home win of the season when they face a struggling NorthEast United FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Friday. FC Goa have struggled in their last two home fixtures, losing to Jamshedpur FC and Mumbai City FC. But the Gaurs returned to winning ways against East Bengal last week with a narrow 3-2 victory in Kolkata, while the reigning Durand Cup champions NEUFC, who played out a 1-1 draw with Kerala Blasters FC, are still in search of their first win. FC Goa will look forward to young players stepping up in the absence of a few seniors due to injuries and head coach Manolo Marquez urged that the team needs to adapt to situations better than the previous games. "We have a lot of things to improve on. It's true that the other day, we played good in some moments, and we need to learn to manage the situations better," Marquez said. "We have players with experience, who are injured. We have played a lot

ISL: Hyderabad get first point of season after 0-0 draw vs Chennaiyin FC

Hyderabad FC opened their account after a goal-less draw against Chennaiyin FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Tuesday. Hyderabad FC were down to 10 men after Parag Shrivas was sent off in the 71st minute when he got a second yellow card after a foul on Chennaiyin FC forward Connor Shields. However, the home team held together admirably well to keep the Marina Machans at bay and earn their first points of the campaign and register name on the points table. Boosted by the presence of Goddard and Allan Paulista upfront, Hyderabad FC seemed eager to attack right from the onset. They stretched the Chennaiyin FC backline by dragging their defenders wide as the duo of Goddard and Paulista entered the box from the centre to pounce upon the open spaces. One such instance in the ninth minute saw them come touchingly close to breaking the deadlock, with the opposition's backline being caught off-guard. Goddard was barely a few yards away from goal when he squared off a delivery for

Mumbai City FC aims happy homecoming against high-flying Bengaluru FC

Mumbai City FC would look to notch their first win of the Indian Super League (ISL) this season and move up the points table when they face high-flying Bengaluru FC in a clash between two heavyweights here on Wednesday. Bengaluru have made a commanding start, winning all their three outings so far to sit atop the points table, while Mumbai are surprisingly placed at 11th after two away matches, with just one point. Mumbai have found the back of the net in their previous eight matches at home and are looking to equal their longest such ISL run, having done so in nine meetings between October 2022 and February 2023. Interestingly, they have also won their previous three matches versus Bengaluru. Bengaluru have scored one-third of their goals in the competition this year within the opening 15 minutes, the highest such rate for any team so far. Mumbai City head coach Petr Kratky said his team needs to avoid conceding goals from set-pieces. We need to get better in the area where it's

Kerala Blasters FC and NorthEast United FC plays an intense draw on Sunday

Kerala Blasters shared points with NorthEast United FC following a gripping 1-1 draw in their Indian Super League match here on Sunday. Alaeddine Ajaraei's goal from a freekick was equalised by Noah Sadaoui's stunning strike as the Kerala Blasters FC salvaged a crucial point on the road. Right from kickoff, it was a very high-intensity match with end-to-end football from both sides. However, the visitors made the more impressive moves with the likes of Noah, Jesus Jimenez and Danish Farooq combining in attack. Kerala Blasters FC almost had the opener when their Moroccan superstar lost his marker and made a telling run down the left flank before finding Farooq in the box. Unfortunately the 28-year-old failed to make contact with the ball with only the goalkeeper to beat. Noah kept pushing for the opening goal as he once again dropped a shoulder and rifled an effort from outside the box but it was a whisker away from nestling into the top corner. The momentum of the game gradually

Sunil Chhetri at the top. Who are the other top goalscorers in ISL history?

Chhetri became the top goal scorer during Bengaluru FC's 3-0 win over Mohun Bagan FC on Saturday

ISL 2024: Borja Herrera's hat-trick powers FC Goa to season's first win

Led by Borja Herrera's sensational hat-trick, FC Goa secured their first win of their Indian Super League 2024-25 campaign as they edged past hosts East Bengal 3-2 here on Friday. The visitors started the game brightly as they made some impactful moves into the final third. The likes of Dejan Drazic, Borja Herrera and Boris Singh made openings early on in the game. Their persistent attacks were soon rewarded when Drazic's cross from the left was parried away by East Bengal goalkeeper Debjit Majumder. However, the stray ball fell to Borja in space and the Spaniard slotted it into the net in the 13th minute. The Gaurs kept troubling the East Bengal FC backline with their darting counter-attacks. In such an instance, Boris Singh won possession from Hijazi Maher on the right flank in a dangerous area. The youngster came up with a perfectly weighted cut-back to find Borja in the box, who slammed it home again in the 20th minute to double the lead for the visitors. However, the Carles .

ISL 2024: Bengaluru FC, Mohun Bagan SG face off in bumper weekend clash

Unbeaten so far in the league, Bengaluru FC and Mohun Bagan Super Giant will lock horns in a blockbuster ISL clash here on Saturday, with the two heavyweights of Indian club football looking to consolidate their positions in the pecking order. Bengaluru FC won both their games against East Bengal and Hyderabad FC while Mohun Bagan Super Giant, after sharing the spoils with Mumbai City FC in their opener, returned to winning ways in their last outing against NorthEast United. BFC are placed second in the standings currently, while Mohun Bagan are holding the fourth position. The Blues have lost only once in their nine home games under the tutelage of Gerard Zaragoza, the only defeat coming in the form of a 0-4 reverse to Mohun Bagan SG last season. The Mariners have scored 43 goals from open play since the start of the previous season, which is the highest in the league and 25 more than Bengaluru FC (18) in that period. Zaragoza's side have won both the games so far in ISL 2024-25.

ISL 2024: East Bengal hosts FC Goa, hopes to claim season's maiden win

Smarting from back-to-back losses, East Bengal FC will look to get back to winning ways when they host FC Goa in their opening home game of the Indian Super League season here on Friday. The Red & Gold Brigade lost 0-1 to Bengaluru FC and then suffered a 1-2 loss against Kerala Blasters in their last two matches, while FC Goa is coming off a 1-1 draw against Mohammedan SC here. However, East Bengal will bank on home success to return to winning ways as the club had emerged triumphant by 2-1 against Bengaluru FC when they last played an ISL game here in April this year. Goa has scored in each of its eight ISL fixtures versus East Bengal FC. They have been dominant in collecting the three points in the previous four clashes between the two. East Bengal, on the other hand, has scored just once in the last two encounters, with its lone goal-scorer being PV Vishnu. Although East Bengal registered four shots on target versus Kerala Blasters, the efficiency was missing. We have been ...

ISL 2024: Punjab FC get hattrick of wins, beat Hyderabad FC 2-0 at home

Goals from Ezequiel Vidal and Filip Mrzljak helped Punjab FC defeat Hyderabad FC 2-0 and make it three wins in a row for the side in the Indian Super League here on Wednesday. Following their emphatic win, Punjab FC, who scored once in each half, now sit at the top of the table. Punjab FC turned on the intensity following the initial 15 minutes of lethargy when Leander D'Cunha's mis-timed pass in the danger area saw Mrzljak come up with a superb interception. The Croatian was in a prime position to put the hosts ahead but rival goalkeeper Arshdeep Singh thwarted his effort. Buoyed by the opportunity, Punjab FC kept pushing for the opening goal, with Vidal at the centre of every action. He created a couple or more opportunities for Mrzljak and Ivan Novoselec but neither managed to find the back of the net. In the 27th minute, Vidal went for the jugular from distance and missed the target by a whisker. Minutes later, Vidal released Nihal Sudeesh on the left flank and the youngster