Indian Super League 2014 Results: Updated Table, Scores and Fixtures for Week 6
After five weeks of play in the inaugural Indian Super League the top four spots are still wide open, with no team currently able to draw themselves away from the pack.
The start of Week 6 did little to change that as Mumbai City stayed in fifth spot after a goalless draw with FC Goa, who moved two points clear of bottom club Delhi Dynamos.
Atletico de Kolkata have topped the standings for much of the season and opened up a gap with Chennaiyin FC thanks to a 1-0 win in the Eastern Derby against NorthEast United.
Early favourites for the inaugural ISL title, Atletico's blend of disciplined defence and efficiency in front of goal continues to pay dividends.
But Chennai now lead the league after a series of fine performances.
Read on for a look at all the action from Week 6.
Updated ISL Table
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| 1 | Chennaiyin FC | 10 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 20 | 12 | +8 | 19 |
| 2 | Atletico de Kolkata | 10 | 4 | 4 | 2 | 13 | 9 | +4 | 16 |
| 3 | Kerala Blasters | 10 | 4 | 3 | 3 | 8 | 7 | +1 | 15 |
| 4 | FC Goa | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 11 | 10 | +1 | 12 |
| 5 | FC Pune City | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 9 | 14 | -5 | 12 |
| 6 | Mumbai City FC | 10 | 3 | 3 | 4 | 8 | 13 | -5 | 12 |
| 7 | Northeast United FC | 9 | 2 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 7 | -1 | 10 |
| 8 | Delhi Dynamos | 9 | 1 | 4 | 4 | 7 | 10 | -3 | 7 |
Courtesy of IndianSuperLeague.com
Nov. 23: Chennaiyin Domination Continues with Mumbai Win
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Mumbai City FC 0-3 Chennaiyin FC
Chennaiyin FC extended their lead at the top of the ISL after a fine 3-0 away win against Mumbai City FC.
Goals from Bruno Pelissari, Dhanachandra Singh and Cristian Hidalgo captured the win for Marco Materazzi's side, taking them three points clear of second placed Atletico de Kolkata.
Mumbai star striker Nicolas Anelka missed the match through injury, with coach Peter Reid bringing Syed Rahim Nabi and Tiago Ribeiro into his team.
Chennai were also forced to make changes due to injuries, drafting Balwant Singh, Bruno Pelissari and Mikael Silvestre back into the starting XI.
The game remained goalless for the first half during a stale affair which saw a distinct lack of quality chances created.
But the visitors finally found the breakthrough on 71 minutes with Pelissari's first time effort hitting the back of the net after poor Mumbai defending.
The home team then attempted to put some forward pressure on Chennai but it was the away side who soon grabbed their second, through Singh.
The game was then killed off a minute from time as substitute Cristian's curling effort made it 3-0, giving three points to Materazzi.
This certainly was not one of the ISL's classic matches but Chennai are going about their business with efficiency and ruthlessness.
Materazzi will be pleased with his team's levels of performance and the play-offs look almost certain for them.
Reid's team are struggling to find the net and their usual tough defence was found wanting against Chennaiyin.
Nov. 22: Goa Make FC Pune City Pay
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FC Goa 2-0 FC Pune City
FC Goa used a star turn from advanced playmaker Romeo Fernandes to dispatch FC Pune City by two clear goals. The match had a low-key build-up due to the admission of marquee attractions Robert Pires (Goa) and striker David Trezeguet (Pune).
But even with the the two decorated Frenchman absent, there was still plenty of established talent on display. Pune had long-time Premier League winger Jermaine Pennant in the ranks, while Goa featured ex-Arsenal left-back Andre Santos.
But it was Fernandes who stole the show. He netted the opening goal and remained a consistent menace to the Pune City defence.
The 22-year-old attacking midfielder's efforts were rewarded with the Moment of the Match and Hero of the Match awards, per IndianSuperLeague.com. But Fernandes wasn't the only homegrown player who caught the eye. He shared some of the spotlight with 21-year-old full-back Naryan Das, per the FC Goa official Twitter feed:
"The ISL emerging player of the match goes to the electrifying left back Narayan Das, surely is one of the finds of the league."
Crafty No. 10 Miroslav Slepicka added to Fernandes' goal with a deft header to seal the win. The win moves the Goans up to fourth in the ISL table.
As for Pune City, they drop to sixth having been leapfrogged by Goa.
Nov. 21: Kerala Blasters FC Defeat Atletico De Kolkata
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Kerala Blasters FC 2-1 Atletico De Kolkata
Kerala Blasters controversially solidified their place in the all important top four of the Indian Super League with a 2-1 over previous front-runners, Atletico de Kolkata.
A late effort by Atletico's Luis Garcia was incorrectly ruled to have not crossed the line, denying Kolkata a share of the points.
David James made one change to his Kerala side for the tie, bringing in Pedro Gusmao for C.S. Sabeeth.
And it was the Blasters that started the game faster of the two teams—with Iain Hume scoring in the 4th minute. Hume slotted the ball away into an empty net at the far post, after a cross from Pedro Gusmao.
Antonio Lopez Habas' Kolkata team then put strong pressure on their hosts and nearly grabbed an equaliser, as Fikru Teferra launched himself into the air to smash an overhead kick—which went just over the bar.
Pedro then nearly made it two for the Blasters before the break, only to see his shot kept out by Atletico goalkeeper, Milagres Gonsalves.
The score looked like it would remain at 1-0 until the half-time whistle, but the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium home support did not have to wait long to see their team extend their lead, as Pedro netted in the 42nd minute.
Pedro beautifully controlled his shot after a dangerous cross from Sandesh Jhingan to double the Blasters' advantage.
Kolkata reacted in the second half by bringing on Garcia at the break and his introduction breathed new life into the visitors.
And in the 55th minute, Fikru Teferra fired his team back into the game to make it 2-1—in what was developing into a pulsating contest.
Kolkata then pushed forward for the equaliser and seemed to have finally achieved it in injury time as Garcia's sweet volley clattered the crossbar, landing over the goal line, only to then spin back out. But the goal was not recognised by the officials and Kerala controversially claimed the victory.
Nov. 19: Chennaiyin FC Roar Back to the Top of the Table with Pune City Victory
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Chennaiyin FC 3-1 Pune City
Chennai edged back ahead of Atletico de Kolkata in the Indian Super League, after a comprehensive 3-1 at home to Pune City.
Marco Materazzi's title contenders lead the title race due to their superior goals scored record—tied on goal difference and points with Atletico.
Chennai made four changes for the match with Materazzi and Mikael Silvestre both injured. Back into the starting line-up came Bernard Mendy, Denson Devadas, Jeje Lalpekhlua and club captain Bojan Djordjic.
Former Juventus striker David Trezeguet and Anupam Sarkar were drafted into the Pune team with Franco Colomba omitting Dudu Omagbemi and Mehrajuddin Wadoo.
After a goalless first half, it took until the 62nd minute for Chennai to finally make the breakthrough.
John Mendoza scored with a neat chip over the goalkeeper after a wonderful assist from Balwant Singh.
But disaster was to strike for the home team as they gave Pune the equaliser—from an own goal from former Manchester United midfielder, Eric Djemba-Djemba—resulting from a Jermaine Pennant cross.
However, Pune's fight back was short-lived as Chennai immediately raced up the field and reclaimed the lead. Bruno Pelissari ran forward with the ball from the kick-off, and smashed the ball home with a left foot strike to make it 2-1.
Indian international Jeje Lalpekhlua put the game to bed for Chennai in the third minute of stoppage time, sealing a 3-1 victory and sending the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium fans into rapture.
Nov. 18: Atletico De Kolkata Beat NorthEast United in Eastern Derby
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Atletico de Kokata 1-0 NorthEast United
Atletico de Kolkata strengthened their position at the top of the Indian Super League standings with a 1-0 win over NorthEast United on Tuesday, courtesy of a single goal from Luis Garcia.
The visitors controlled the ball for most of the first half but started losing focus late, and if it weren't for some sloppy finishing, the final score could have been a lot worse for United.
Atletico were shocked to find the stands filled with NorthEast fans, highlighting this derby is quickly shaping up to be the ISL's fiercest. The visitors thanked the thousands in attendance by monopolising the ball early, and Guilherme Batata had the first shot on goal, directing his effort just wide.
Rehenesh TP drew the first yellow card of the match, as he completely misjudged a long ball and was forced to bring down Fikru Teferra. The hometown fans wanted to see a red, but the Atletico man wasn't through on goal, saving the NorthEast stopper from an early dismissal.
He was nearly caught by a long chip from Garcia minutes later, but the Spaniard's effort had too much power on it, sailing over the ball.
NorthEast dominated proceedings in midfield, quickly recovering every loose ball, but chances were rare. The hosts remained a threat on the counter attack, with Fikru and Garcia combining well on those few occasions where they could find space.
The second half saw the momentum shift toward Kolkata, with NorthEast's high press losing some of its effectiveness. Garcia and Fikru both had shots on goal within the first five minutes of the second half, and the hosts started committing more bodies forward.
A poor clearance fell to Jofre Mateu, who covered the entire left flank in seconds before launching a measured cross. Garcia was there to meet it, powering a header past Rehenesh for the first (and only) goal of the match.
Koke had a chance to equalise just minutes later, but his curling free kick missed the far post by inches. The visitors failed to find open spaces and saw most of the danger come from set pieces, but Joan Capdevila also couldn't get his effort on target.
Fikru should have doubled the hosts' advantage with eight minutes left on the clock, finding himself in excellent shooting position after a great pass from Garcia. The Ethiopian rushed his shot, however, and the ball nearly cleared the stands behind the goal.
Len Doungel received one final free header on goal but couldn't keep the ball down, and Kolkata easily held on for the win in the final minutes.
With the three points, Atletico open up a gap over Chennaiyin FC, who still have a match in hand. A trio of teams now chase the league-leaders by four points, as Atletico are starting to look like a safe bet to qualify for the play-offs.
The same can't be said for NorthEast United, who will have to be nearly perfect in the final weeks of the tournament to make it to the next round.
Nov. 17: Goa and Mumbai Play out Goalless Draw
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Mumbai City 0-0 Goa
Mumbai City were left to rue their missed chances as they played out a third consecutive goalless draw with Goa at the D.Y. Patil Stadium on Monday.
The hosts could have moved to the top of the Indian Super League table with a victory but instead stay fifth—just outside of a playoff spot.
However, it could have been worse for Peter Reid and his players as Goa had chances of their own with both sides likely happy to take a draw come the final whistle.
An early chance for Nicolas Anelka could have seen the hosts make the perfect start but the Frenchman could not take advantage of Gregory's misplaced back-pass and shot wide.
Mandar Rao Desai also had a decent early chance for Goa from an Andre Santos pass but the midfielder's left-footed strike flew over the bar.
The visitors seemed happy to let their hosts attack them and Goa did a sterling defensive job in the opening 45 minutes, frustrating City as they attempted to carve out opportunities.
The second half followed much of the same pattern as Robert Pires and Santos impressed for Goa in the middle of the park.
However, Mumbai almost snatched the match in the 83rd minute when an Andre Moritz strike flew past keeper Jan Seda only to ricochet back off the bar.
He was not the only one to rattle the woodwork in the late stages. Tolgay Ozbey almost won it for the visitors just minutes later after skipping past two defenders, his effort hitting the inside of the crossbar.
A goal was not forthcoming in the end and Mumbai clearly have a goalscoring problem, although their defence is doing well to keep out any opposition.
Next up for Mumbai is Chennaiyin while Goa face Pune City at home with both teams needing a victory if they are to gain some momentum and break into the top four.
