Gameweek 10 of the Hero Indian Super League saw a total of seventeen goals across five fixtures. The week kicked off with Kerala Blasters & FC Goa taking away one point each in a 2-2 draw which was followed by a 1-0 Chennaiyin FC win against Jamshedpur FC. In one of the biggest surprises this week, Odisha FC beat Mumbai City 4-2 which cost the Islanders the top spot for now. KBFC and FC Goa weren’t the only 2-2 draw this week as ATK Mohun Bagan and Hyderabad FC shared points, thanks to a Javier Siverio stoppage-time winner. Lastly, there was action in the bottom half of the table as Bengaluru FC took on SC East Bengal in a 1-1 draw. Here are a few key highlights to wrap up game week 10 of the Hero Indian Super League.
▶ A new face at the top
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Hyderabad FC left it late to win a point against ATK Mohun Bagan in a nail-biting game at Fatorda to extend their unbeaten run to eight games and move to the top of the Indian Super League. This means that the Nizams sit on top of the ISL for the first time in their history. Most of the credit goes to their manager Manolo Marquez who has completely turned around the fortunes of the club. The Spaniard keeps his side perfectly balanced between young and experienced players which not only helps the team in winning games but also helps the young chaps to learn more from the experienced players on the pitch.
▶ The Islanders losing momentum
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The defending champions, Mumbai City FC started off the season the best way they could imagine but since their loss to Kerala Blasters back in game week 7 they seem to have lost their track. After their loss to KBFC, they haven’t been the same, picking up just two points out of a possible six which has cost them their top spot in the league table. With teams like ATK Mohun Bagan, Kerala Blasters, Chennaiyin FC, and Jamshedpur FC in the race for the top 4, it will be a tough job for the Islanders to keep their spot if they keep going like this.
▶ A struggling Bengaluru FC
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Unlike Hyderabad FC, things have been the same for Bengaluru FC this season. A change in management did not bring much change for the Blues as they currently find themselves eight on the table with just 2 wins and 4 draws out of the ten games they have played so far.
▶ Another Indian talent who came into the limelight
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The rule of playing just four foreigners has worked out in Indian Football’s favor as yet another Indian player came into the limelight. Jerry Mawihmingthanga of Odisha FC stole the show in their fixture against Mumbai City FC, scoring two goals and providing an assist for Jonathas. Not only that, the 24-year right midfielder completed the most number of dribbles in the match and had a pass accuracy of 83%.
[Featured Image Credit: ISL – Indian Super League]
Shashank Iyer