Indian Super League 2014 Results: Updated Table, Scores and Fixtures for Week 8
The play-offs of the inaugural Indian Super League season will kick off Dec. 10, and with none of the teams yet to be mathematically eliminated from contention going into Week 9, everything will come down to this last week-and-a-half of competition.
Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa have already qualified, and by December 10, we'll know which two teams will join them for the knockout stages.
Time is running out for Delhi Dynamos, NorthEast and Mumbai City, but a strong late push could yet see them surge into the top four, ensuring play-off contention.
Updated ISL Standings
1 of 9
| 1 | Chennaiyin (Q) | 13 | 6 | 4 | 3 | 22 | 18 | +4 | 22 |
| 2 | Goa (Q) | 13 | 6 | 3 | 4 | 20 | 11 | +9 | 21 |
| 3 | Atlético de Kolkata | 13 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 15 | 12 | +3 | 18 |
| 4 | Delhi Dynamos | 13 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 14 | 12 | +2 | 17 |
| 5 | Pune City | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 12 | 16 | −4 | 16 |
| 6 | Kerala Blasters | 13 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 8 | 11 | −3 | 16 |
| 7 | Mumbai City | 13 | 4 | 3 | 6 | 11 | 20 | -9 | 15 |
| 8 | NorthEast United | 13 | 3 | 5 | 5 | 10 | 12 | −2 | 14 |
Courtesy of IndianSuperLeague.com
Schedule
2 of 9
All of this week's fixtures have been played.
Dec. 7: Mumbai City Shock Atletico De Kolkata, Play-Offs Still Wide Open
3 of 9
Mumbai City 2-1 Atletico de Kolkata
Mumbai City kept their play-off hopes alive with a 2-1 win over Atletico de Kolkata on Sunday, holding their opponents from qualifying in the process.
The hosts would have been mathematically eliminated from a top-four finish and understandably came out firing, with star forward Nicolas Anelka nearly putting a man through on goal. Apoula Edel reacted swiftly, and he showed his reflexes minutes later, punching a high cross clear.
Mumbai continued to press the overwhelmed visitors back, and Anelka took a shot from well outside the box that curled off in the wrong direction. Jan Stohanzl tried his luck from a little closer, but Edel had it covered.
Lalrindika Ralte finally gave his team a deserved lead minutes before half-time, trailing Tiago and putting himself in excellent position to blast home a first-time shot off a good pass.
The hosts weren't content with the one-goal lead and went looking for more in the second half. Anelka beautifully set up Asif Kottayil, but the substitute's well-struck effort rattled the post.
Out of nowhere, Kolkata got themselves on the scoreboard in the 60th minute. Luis Garcia and Borja Fernandez combined to set up Baljit Sahni, who could simply tap in from close range.
Subrata Paul produced a fantastic save to deny Atletico their second goal, flying toward his near post to keep out a free kick. Mumbai controlled possession, but Kolkata started to threaten on the counter attack.
The hosts deservedly regained the lead, however, after Didika's sharp ball in found the head of Manuel Friedrich. Mumbai held on for the win, setting up an exciting scenario for the final round of fixtures.
As it stands, Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa have qualified for the play-offs, with Kolkata, Delhi Dynamos, Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City vying for the final two tickets.
Kolkata have the advantage in terms of points, but they'll likely have to beat a red-hot FC Goa team on the final matchday. Mumbai have to hope Delhi loses to Chennaiyin and Kerala lose to FC Pune City, in which case they'll qualify with a win over NorthEast United.
Dec. 6: Delhi Dynamos Edge Toward Semis with Victory at Pune City
4 of 9
Delhi Dynamos have put themselves in the driving seat to claim a place in the inaugural Indian Super League semi-finals after claiming a 1-0 win over Pune City on Saturday.
Harm van Veldhoven's side travelled to Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex Stadium two points and places below their Week 8 opponents, but battled through a storm of pressure to clinch a season-altering result.
For the most part, this was a tetchy and tight encounter, unsurprisingly so given that a place in the top four was at stake, but Gustavo dos Santos' dramatic winner at the death ensured it was all worthwhile for the visitors.
According to the official Indian Super League website, the Dynamos actually enjoyed the larger share of possession, but were more reserved in lining up attempts on goal.
It showed, too, as Pune City began to pile on the pressure, although the likes of Dudu, Jermaine Pennant and later David Trezeguet would fail to make it tell.
Heading into the final phases of the fixture, both teams may have settled for a point to leave their fates until the final week of competition, but Dos Santos had other plans in mind.
Cutting in from the right after showing great composure at the climax, the Brazilian sent a shot whizzing in at the far post, winning Delhi the three points in fashion that was only deserved considering what's at stake.
It's far from over for either team, though. The Dynamos travel to face leaders Chennaiyin just three days from now, while Pune City will attempt to salvage what playoff hopes they have left, also on Tuesday, when they'll face Kerala Blasters.
Dec. 5: FC Goa Book Playoff Place
5 of 9
FC Goa preserved their sparkling form, running out comfortable 3-1 victors away at league leaders Chennaiyin FC. The win pushes Zico's side to within one point of their vanquished opponents, and confirms their spot amongst the top-four sides in the division for the end-of-season playoffs.
As you might expect from a team that had only lost two games so far this season, it was Chennaiyin who began the game the more purposeful of the two sides. But their early pressure failed to yield anything tangible and the visitors establish a stranglehold on the match.
While Chennaiyin were a little profligate with their earlier opportunities, Goa—who have now won four games in succession—were not, as they took the lead thanks to a fine reactionary finish from Romeo Fernandes. They clearly had the momentum as half time approached and the league leaders were starting to look a little ragged.
But there was little chance of the visitors, clearly bristling with confidence, letting Chennaiyin off the hook. After seeing a rasping free-kick come off the post in the 40th minute, it took former Arsenal man Andre Santos another minute to double Goa's advantage, finishing clinically after a neat turn on the edge of the box.
The second period saw a clear retreat from the visitors, as they were happy to let Chennaiyin have the ball for long spells and counter-attack with forensic incision. And the tactic worked perfectly midway through the second half, as Narayan Das burst into space, had a scintillating shot saved, before the red-hot Miroslav Slepicka volleyed home to notch his fifth goal in four games.
Jean-Eudes Maurice added a consolation for the hosts, but it did little to dampen spirits amongst the Goa players, who have done magnificently well in their previous four games. Remarkably, after a disastrous start to the season, this team looks as though it could be the favourites heading into the climax of what's been a fascinating inaugural campaign in the Indian Super League.
Dec. 4: Kerala Blasters and NorthEast United FC Play out Tense 0-0 Draw
6 of 9
A goalless draw hardly helped the playoff hopes of either the Kerala Blasters or NorthEast United FC. But that result was unavoidable after both sides failed to take a host of chances.
It's the Blasters who will be most aggrieved. Not only did they squander home advantage, but they failed to capitalise on having a man advantage.
James Keene was the man who saw red with around 10 minutes to go. He reacted angrily to a challenge from Kerala striker Michael Chopra.
But the Kerala attacking line, led by former Sunderland poacher Chopra, couldn't break down the Highlanders' resolute back line. Sengalese powerhouse Mossamba Lo Sambou was again a key figure for United.
Meanwhile, midfield workhorse Stephen Pearson toiled throughout the game for Kerala. But the ex-Stoke City player couldn't inspire his goal-shy team mates.
Fortunately for the Blasters, goalkeeper Sandip Nandy was in brilliant form. He produced a series of marquee stops to deny United. Nandy's performance will have pleased coach David James.
However, James won't be pleased to have missed out on a place in the semi-final. The same reward was awaiting North East, but ultimately, a point has done little to help either team.
Dec. 3: Pune City Beat Rivals Mumbai City, Leap into Top 4
7 of 9
FC Pune City 2-0 Mumbai City FC
Dudu Omagbemi scored twice to give hosts Pune City a big win over rivals Mumbai City, temporarily pushing Pune into the top four and the last slot that comes with a ticket to the ISL play-offs.
Dudu scored twice in the second half when his team needed it the most, showing he could handle the pressure better than Mumbai's Tiago Ribeiro, who missed a penalty in the 51st minute.
The match started at a high pace and the Nigerian was clearly feeling himself early, testing Subrata Paul with an excellent shot from long range. Park Kwang Il and Dudu both had excellent chances to open the score inside the first 20 minutes, but once again displayed why he's India's regular starter in goal.
Manuel Friedrich and Abhishek Yadav had the best chances for the visitors, both missing the target with headers, but Pune City had the better of play. Kostas Katsouranis and Jermaine Pennant came close, and it was a small miracle the score was still 0-0 going into half-time.
Mumbai put bodies behind the ball in the second half to try and preserve the draw, and the hosts grew desperate when Pritam Kotal was penalised for a handball inside the box.
Ribeiro put the ball low but Arindam Battacharya made a fine save, becoming the first goal keeper in ISL history to stop a penalty.
The saved penalty boosted the hosts even more, and Dudu finally scored the opener after 66 minutes. The goal came with controversy, however—the Nigerian had been lying on the pitch with an apparent injury before leaping to his feet to control a cross and volleying home.
The visiting players were furious with the official for allowing Dudu to act like that and get away with it, but the forward couldn't care less. Fans soon forgot about the incident as well after he scored his second of the match with a sublime back-heel, a goal we'll certainly be seeing on the end-of-season highlight reels.
With two matches left to play, Mumbai could mathematically still qualify for the play-offs, but they'll likely miss out after a dreadful run of performances in the second part of the season.
Pune City control their own destiny, and with Kerala Blasters losing their last two, Delhi Dynamos will be the biggest threat to the play-offs going into the final matchdays.
Dec. 2: Delhi Dynamos Hold Atletico de Kolkata to Stalemate
8 of 9
Atletico de Kolkata and Delhi Dynamos remain third and fifth in the Indian Super League standings, respectively, after playing to a bore draw in Wednesday's clash.
Harm van Veldhoven's hosts could have moved to within a point of their guests in fourth had they managed to take all three points, but the opportunity for a third consecutive win went missing.
As such, Atletico can undoubtedly be left feeling more content with their share of the spoils, but this is now the club's third game without a win, taking just one victory in their last eight appearances.
Wednesday's clash may have gone either way after both teams showed the initiative to threaten on goal, but chances went astray as finishing wasn't exactly at a premium.
Atletico de Kolkata goalkeeper Apoula Edel Bete had another busy day at the office after starring in his side's 1-1 draw at Pune City last time out, with Delhi midfielder Souvik Chakraborthy among those testing his ability.
In the end, though, Atletico would have the majority of shot attempts, per the official Indian Super League website, but were also unable to add the finishing touches.
With the league phase of the inaugural Super League season drawing to a close, the Dynamos can hope to recover form before staging a late run at the payoffs.
However, on the other hand, Atletico remain a team out of sorts and will have to muster their finest football in their next two games if they're to make the top four.
Dec. 1: FC Goa Continue Hot Streak, Crush NorthEast United FC
9 of 9
FC Goa 3-0 NorthEast United
FC Goa beat NorthEast United 3-0 on Monday, taking their record to four wins in the last five matches and all but securing their spot in the ISL play-offs.
The hosts applied pressure early and often and comfortably took care of struggling NorthEast, who will have to dig deep in their final two matches to have any chance of qualifying for the next round.
Zohib Islam Amiri came close to opening the score after just two minutes, leaping high to connect with a cross but aiming his header over the crossbar. The home crowd looked on with delight as Goa hardly gave the visitors any space to operate in, and Miroslav Slepicka nearly took advantage of a poor clearance.
Andre Santos was the next forward to try his luck, but like Amiri, he failed to direct his header on target. The pressure was relentless, and 33 minutes in, NorthEast's defences finally gave in.
Romeo Fernandes played an excellent one-two with Slepicka before slipping the ball past Rehenesh TP, giving the hosts a deserved lead. As it turned out, Romeo's goal was the 100th in ISL history, giving the fans an extra reason to celebrate.
Slepicka made it 2-0 just before half-time, all but icing the match. Another poor clearance fell right to the striker, who kept his calm and gently pushed the ball into the corner from the edge of the box.
The pace dropped in the second half, with the hosts happy to just control the ball, but Santos added an insurance goal after 74 minutes, channeling his inner Arjen Robben. Dancing out wide, he cut inside before beautifully curling the ball past Rehenesh, giving the Indian stopper no chance.
With the win, Goa leap over Atletico de Kolkata into the second spot on the standings. Their lead over the teams currently outside of the top four is five points, with two of the teams on 13 points playing three more matches.
FC Goa haven't lost a match since Nov. 6, however, and given their impeccable form, the team will have to like their chances of qualifying for the next round.
