ISL 2023-24 Matchweek 6: The Hits, Misses, Team of the Week and ISL Fantasy Strategy Hat

by Chittu Shetty November 8, 2023

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 action breaks for international football after the completion of six Matchweek.

This week had eight matches with Odisha FC, Bengaluru FC, Hyderabad FC, and Punjab FC playing two games each. FC Goa have solidified their spot at the top of the standings and Kerala Blasters FC are placed second on equal points (13) but an additional game to their name (6).

Hyderabad FC and Punjab FC are yet to bag their first win of the season, occupy the bottom two spots in the table respectively with Mohun Bagan Super Giant, Mumbai City FC, Odisha FC, and NorthEast United FC accompanying FC Goa and Kerala Blasters FC in the top-six. Here are the hits and misses from the previous week of the Indian top-tier.

Odisha FC 3 – 2 Bengaluru FC

Hit: Sergio Lobera and his men needed a good result after successive losses and the come-from-behind win against Bengaluru FC should instill positive momentum to their season. The Juggernauts showed impressive determination, thanks to their domestic talents like Lalhathanga Khawlring, Isak Vanlalruatfela, and Amey Ranawade to bounce back from a 0-2 score line to win the game.

Miss: Bengaluru FC: Simon Grayson and his men were pushed on the backfoot by Odisha FC as the game progressed. The Blues blew away a terrific opportunity to win a difficult away game as their defense came up short when the home side began building pressure by attacking their box from all ends.

Mohun Bagan Super Giant 3 – 2 Jamshedpur FC

Hit: Rising stars shined bright in this game with Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) graduate Mohammed Sanan scoring in his first start for Jamshedpur FC. Liston Colaco and Kiyan Nassiri netted once each to help the Mariners edge ahead in a hard-fought encounter at the JRD Tata Sports Complex.

Miss: Jamshedpur FC had been one of the more defensively solid teams ahead of this game, conceding thrice in five matches combined. However, the quality brimming through the Mohun Bagan Super Giant frontline was too much to handle for them and they paid the price for that by being unable to settle for even a point from this contest.

Mumbai City FC 2 – 1 Punjab FC

Hit: League debutants Punjab FC gave Mumbai City FC a scare for 80-odd minutes, before the Islanders’ proven attacking duo of Greg Stewart and Jorge Pereyra Diaz stepped up to bag the equalizer and the winner respectively to get all three points from the game.

Miss: Punjab FC needs to work harder to finish off games, holding on to their leads, and playing with a sense of maturity in the final quarter of the matches so that they don’t fall down from winning positions. They squandered a brilliant opportunity to secure a victory in a challenging away fixture here.

Odisha FC 1 – 0 NorthEast United FC

Hit: Lobera wasn’t pleased with the defensive performance of his team even after the victory against Bengaluru FC, and his players responded by keeping a clean sheet against a NorthEast United FC frontline that asked them constant questions throughout the game.

Miss: The Highlanders attempted 11 shots and three of them were on target, with star attacker Parthib Gogoi testing Amrinder Singh with a couple of outstanding long-range efforts too. The lack of sharpness and efficiency upfront would surely be something that Juan Pedro Benali can work upon going forward.

Hyderabad FC 1 – 1 Bengaluru FC

Hit: Hyderabad FC have struggled for an imposing figure moving forward but Mohammed Yasir showed those tendencies when he brought down a long ball by Oswaldo Alanís and deposited it into the back of the net to score the opener in this fixture.

Miss: Bengaluru FC struck back with an equaliser by Ryan Williams in the 58th minute, but they would have wanted more from this match especially as Suresh Singh Wangjam and Sunil Chhetri came within touching distance of hitting the winner in the final half-an-hour of the game.

Kerala Blasters FC 2 – 1 East Bengal FC

Hit: Sachin Suresh became the first goalkeeper in ISL history to save penalties in consecutive games as he denied Cleiton Silva from the spot before Dimitrios Diamantakos doubled the lead for Kerala Blasters FC in the 88th minute.

Miss: Silva reduced the deficit of the defeat by scoring from 12-yards out in the 99th minute, but he will regret not drawing scores level when he had the chance to do so earlier in the 85th minute of the match.

FC Goa 3 – 0 Chennaiyin FC

Hit: Manolo Marquez notched his first victory in the ISL against his counterpart Owen Coyle as three domestic talents, namely: Boris Singh, Rowllin Borges, and Udanta Singh got on the scoresheet for FC Goa to hand Chennaiyin FC a defeat by 3-0 in the latter’s home ground.

Miss: Coyle argued in the post-match press conference that the game was closer than what the scoreline suggests but statistically speaking, FC Goa was much more lethal moving forward vis-à-vis Chennaiyin FC. The Marina Machans attempted six shots at goal as compared to FC Goa’s 17, and only one of them was on target compared to the six of the Gaurs.

Punjab FC 1 – 1 Hyderabad FC

Hit: Juan Mera was the star of the show as his constant efforts in creating goal-scoring chances resulted in him going a step above and actually converting one of those opportunities to give the lead to Punjab FC.

Miss: Much like their last game, Punjab FC conceded their lead with Jonathan Moya from Hyderabad FC slotting the ball into the back of the net as late as in the 98th minute for both teams to walk away with a single point each from this match.

Team of the Week

Goalkeeper: Sachin Suresh (Kerala Blasters FC)

Defenders: Nikhil Poojary (Hyderabad FC), Pritam Kotal (Kerala Blasters FC), Brendan Hamill (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Tondonba Singh (NorthEast United FC)

Midfielders: Ahmed Jahouh (Odisha FC), Lalengmawia Ralte (Mumbai City FC), Joao Victor (Hyderabad FC)

Wingers: Liston Colaco (Mohun Bagan Super Giant), Manvir Singh (Mohun Bagan Super Giant)

Centre Forward: Jorge Pereyra Diaz (Mumbai City FC)

ISL Fantasy – Roundup

Average Matchweek points: 36.4

Top point scorers:

• Amey Ranawade (OFC Def)- 13 points
• Ryan Williams (BFC FW)- 11 points
• Juan Mera (PFC MF)- 10 points
• Puitea (OFC MF)- 10 points
• Isaka Ralte (OFC MF)- 10 points

For Fixtures and Standing and News on the MFA Super League: Click

Also Read: MFA Super League: Mumbai Strikers SC, Iron Born pick big wins

Also Read: MFA Super League: MSP holds Tarun Sporting to a hard-fought draw

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