The final of the second edition of the ISL proved worthy of the occasion. And you could not have hoped for a more dramatic ending to what had already been a fascinating final. With just three minutes remaining, the host was 2-1 up, but Chennaiyin scored twice inside a minute to devastate the locals’ hopes of endless parties on that December night two winters ago. One of those goals, though, was an own goal, that too by the goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani. Then, the winner was netted by the league’s top-scorer Stiven Mendoza with a left-footer in the injury-time, making up for the penalty that he missed earlier.
Another exciting high-scoring match from the third season of the ISL that ended in a draw. Three times, the visiting NorthEast men were behind in the match, and three times they came back. It was just seconds before the final whistle that they scored their third goal, with Shouvik Ghosh heading in a corner kick. But, the night belonged to Dudu Omagbemi, who scored all Chennaiyin’s goals to author a memorable hat-trick.
The Blasters had reached Chennai with a cushion of a three-goal lead for the second leg of the second semifinal. But, it was stunned by the host, which pumped in three goals to take the match into extra-time. The last of those goals was netted by Jeje Lalpekhlua in the 90th minute, taking the match into extra-time. Three minutes before the final whistle of the match, which saw both the sides being reduced to 10 men, Stephen Pearson scored the goal that took Kerala to the final.
After a near flawless start to its maiden ISL campaign, Bengaluru was rocked in the first 45 minutes of its away tie against Goa. Spanish forward Ferran Corominas scored a brace and Manuel Lanzarote put away a penalty with BFC's goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu sent off for an altercation leading up to the spot kick. <br> After going a man down and trailing 3-1, Albert Roca's side restored parity in the second period through Miku's second and Erik Paartalu's strike. <br> However, it was all in vain after Corominas completed his hat-trick and helped Goa come out on top in a seven goal thriller.
Few draws have thrilled as much as this one. The ball rarely stayed in the midfield as both the sides launched many an attack into the rival box. The match also saw the host staging a splendid recovery, after being down by two goals from Krisztian Vadocz. Delhi was still trailing 2-3 going into the last 10 minutes, but Marcelinho ensured the match would be tied by converting a penalty.
The match saw seven goals, 11 yellow cards and one red. When Goa went into a 2-1 lead at the break, few would have predicted the explosive second period that ensued. Seriton Fernandes' dismissal in the 48th minute allowed Mumbai City back into the contest. The 10-men Gaurs managed to pull the game back at 3-3 in the last quarter before Balwant Singh poked home the winner with less than five minutes to go.
Nine goals in a match, yet only one separated the two teams. Before the advent of the ISL, such a result would not have been imaginable in Indian football in a match between two top sides. In that high-scoring feast, local fans also had a particular reason to be proud about, as 21-year-old Goan Sahil Tavora scored twice. The second of those goals was the winner, as he curled in a stunner in injury time.
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