ISL 2023-24: Best matches of the 10th edition of the Indian Super League

There were many enthralling matches this season owing to the tight race between teams for a spot in the Playoffs. Take a look at the top five matches of this ISL 2023-24.

FILE PHOTO: Mumbai City FC players celebrate with the ISL trophy after winning the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 final match against Mohun Bagan Super Giants. | Photo Credit: PTI

The 10th edition of the Indian Super League (ISL 2023-24) concluded as Mumbai City FC stunned home-favourite Mohun Bagan Super Giant 3-1 to win its second ISL trophy final at the Salt Lake Stadium.

Jason Cummings scored for Mohun Bagan while Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Bipin Singh and Jakub Votjus secured the Championship for the Islanders, putting over 62,000 fans into deathly silence.

Earlier in the season, the battle for the ISL League Winners Shield between MCFC and MBSG boiled down to the final match of the season, where the Mariners edged a 2-1 victory against the Islanders in front of their home crowd.

There were many enthralling matches this season owing to the tight race between teams for a spot in the Playoffs. Take a look at the top five matches of this season:

Mumbai City FC 2-1 Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Matchweek 11)

Before the two sides met in the ISL Shield and Trophy decider, Mumbai City FC secured a 2-1 victory over the Mohun Bagan Super Giant in a feisty clash that saw seven sending-offs.

An equaliser by Greg Stewart in the 44th minute coupled with the winner by Bipin Singh in the 73rd minute ensured that the Islanders got past the Mariners to neutralise the opening strike by their Australian striker Jason Cummings.

Mumbai City FC secured a 2-1 victory over the Mohun Bagan Super Giant in a feisty clash that saw seven red cards. | Photo Credit: FSDL/ISL Media

Akash Mishra was shown the red card due to a challenge on Manvir Singh in the 13th minute while MBSG’s Asish Rai was shown the red card for his foul on Jorge Pereyra Diaz in the 54th minute and the subsequent reaction by Liston Colaco led to the visitor getting down to nine men.

Greg Stewart and Vikram Partap Singh were shown a second yellow for fouls in the latter stages of the game while MCFC captain Rahul Bheke and MBSG defender Hector Yuste were shown direct red cards for engaging in heated arguments after the final whistle.

Kerala Blasters 4-2 FC Goa (Matchweek 16)

Kerala Blasters came alive late in the second and pulled off a stunning 4-2 victory over FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Blasters was down 0-2 till the 50th minute after first-half goals from Rowllin Borges and Yasir Mohammad gave the visitor the lead.

Blasters score three goals in seven minutes to take the lead. | Photo Credit: FSDL/ISL Media

Daisuke Sakai found the corner of the net with a smart free-kick early in the second half, and then Diamantakos scored off a penalty after a Gerard McHugh handball in the 80th minute for the host’s equaliser and then added one more off a goalmouth melee three minutes later as the match swung sharply around.

Fedor Cernych capped off an incredible night for KBFC, scoring a third goal in seven minutes to win 4-2.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant 2-3 Chennaiyin FC (Matchweek 20)

Chennaiyin FC came up with a spectacular second-half performance to stun home favourite Mohun Bagan Super Giant 3-2, giving it a boost in its search for a Playoff spot.

Mohun Bagan took the lead in the 29th minute as its Finnish international, Joni Kauko, found the mark by latching on to a Liston Colaco cross.

Chennaiyin’s Jordan Murray and Ryan Edwards found the back of the net in a span of eight minutes. | Photo Credit: FSDL/ISL Media

Chennaiyin turned the match on its head after the break when it scored two quick goals with Jordan Murray and Ryan Edwards finding the net in a span of eight minutes.

Mohun Bagan neutralised Chennaiyin’s lead (2-2) off a penalty by Dimitri Petratos in the second half injury time but Chennaiyin substitute Irfan Yadwad ensured that Chennaiyin bagged all three points, scoring the winner off a counterattack towards the fag end of the injury time.

FC Goa 2-3 Mumbai City FC (Semifinal Leg 1)

In an incredible display of resilience, Mumbai City FC clinched a comeback victory, beating FC Goa 3-2 in the first leg of their semifinal clash at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa.

It was the Gaurs who drew first blood in the 16th minute. Caught out by a Goa press, the Islanders failed to clear their lines as Seriton Fernandes spread the ball to Mohammad Yasir on the left. Yasir found Boris Singh at the far post with a low cross from the left, and the latter tapped the ball into the net with the simplest of finishes.

In the second half, Brandon Fernandes capitalised on Mehtab Singh’s mistake and opened the face of his boot to curl the ball into the far corner to make it 2-0.

In the 90th minute, Lallianzuala Chhangte pulled a goal back, showing composure to find the net after receiving a perfectly weighted through ball on the stride from Jayesh Rane.

Lallianzuala Chhangte scored twice in added time to give Mumbai City FC the lead in the semifinal first leg. | Photo Credit: FSDL/ISL Media

Getting seven minutes of stoppage time, Mumbai had time to push for the equaliser, and it got it through Vikram, who was in the right place at the right time to score from the rebound after Dheeraj Singh saved Gurkirat Singh’s initial shot.

While a 2-2 comeback would have been impressive enough, Mumbai took it a notch further to steal the match from the Gaurs in front of their home fans when Rane and Chhangte combined again in the seventh minute of added time, with the latter completing the comeback.

Kerala Blasters 3-4 Mohun Bagan Super Giant (Matchweek 19)

Albanian forward Armando Sadiku scored twice as Mohun Bagan Super Giant defeated a fighting Kerala Blasters 4-3 in a thriller at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Sadiku’s fourth-minute goal was cancelled out KBFC’s Vibin Mohanan. early in the second half.

Sadiku reinstated the lead in the 60th minute while Dimitrios Diamantakos doubled his team’s tally in the 63rd minute, thanks to Fedor Cernych, who set up the delivery for the Greek marksman inside the box.

Jason Cummings sealed the game in the seventh minute of added time for Mohun Bagan Super Giant. | Photo Credit: FSDL/ISL Media

Five minutes later, a Deepak Tangri header gave MBSG the lead back before Jason Cummings sealed the game in the seventh minute of added time.

Two minutes later, Diamnatakos reduced the deficit to one, but was too late for the home side to get any points out of the contest.