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ISL: Robson powers Mohun Bagan past NorthEast and to top of the table

MBFC players celebrate Photo: Surajit Sharma / Focus Sports / ISL

Here are the games this week, with their reports below (latest match first):

Apr 15: Kerala Blasters FC vs NorthEast United FC (7:30pm)

Apr 16: East Bengal FC vs Bengaluru FC (7:30pm)

Apr 17: Chennaiyin FC vs SC Delhi (5pm), Odisha FC vs Mohammedan SC (7:30pm)

Apr 18: Kerala Blasters FC vs Jamshedpur FC (5pm), FC Goa vs Mumbai City FC (7:30pm)

Apr 19: NorthEast United FC vs Mohun Bagan SG (7:30pm)

Apr 20: Punjab FC vs Inter Kashi (7:30pm)

Apr 21: Chennaiyin FC vs Mohammedan SC (7:30pm)


NorthEast United FC 0-1 Mohun Bagan Super Giant

[Robson 5']

Mohun Bagan Super Giant edged NorthEast United FC with a 1-0 victory in a rain-affected match in Guwahati to get to the top of the ISL table.

The defending champions took the lead inside five minutes through Robson, who arrived late into the box to finish a well-worked move and then relied on a disciplined defensive display led by Vishal Kaith to see out the result in difficult conditions.

With this victory, Mohun Bagan SG move to the top of the table with 20 points from nine matches, opening a two-point lead over Mumbai City FC. NorthEast United FC, meanwhile, remain 12th with seven points from the same number of matches.

The only goal of the match arrived early in the fifth minute with a fluid attacking move. Liston Colaco initiated the play from the right and found Sahal Abdul Samad, who drove into the box before cutting the ball back into the centre. Robson timed his run to perfection, meeting the pass with a composed right-footed finish into the top of the net to hand Mohun Bagan an early advantage which they carried throughout the match.


FC Goa 2-0 Mumbai City FC

[Sahil Tavora 29', Mumammed Nemil 45+3]

FC Goa handed Mumbai City FC their first defeat of the season as half goals from Sahil Tavora and Muhammed Nemil secured 2-0 win for the home team at the Fatorda Stadium.

The opening goal came in the 29th minute from a corner kick by Dejan Drazic. Mumbai had a couple of chances to clear the ball after the corner, but they didn't and eventually Tavora took the shot to ensure Goa take the lead.

The second goal came in the injury time of the first half with Nemil collecting the pass and unleashing a sensational long-ranger from 30 years out with his left foot to double the tally.

Mumbai City maintained the lead at the top despite the loss, however the advantage is with second-placed Mohun Bagan who have played a game less. Mumbai have 18 points from nine games while Bagan have 17 from eight.

Goa climbed to third spot with the win, having secured 16 points from nine matches and are very much in the mix for the title.


Kerala Blasters 2 - 0 Jamshedpur FC

[Nihal 12', Vibin 36']

A sensational first half performance from the Kerala Blasters saw the home side win a second game on the trot as Keralites Nihal Sudeesh and Vibin Mohanan got on the scoresheet. It became worse for Jamshedpur late on when Stephen Eze got sent off for a late challenge on Víctor Bertomeu in the 74rh minute. This should mean he misses their home match against a resurgent Chennaiyin, but quite a few reds have been overturned on appeal this season.

In Kochi, with the crowd still sparse due to the fan groups' boycott, Nihal opened the scoring after good work by the Blasters down the left. Karim Benarif floated in a teaser to the far post, and Nihal sneaked in behind his marker before making a dash forward and heading it in from close range. Vibin made it two after Franchu whipped in a superb ball from the right flank and he ghosted in behind Eze and Pratik Chaudhari to send a diving header into the net.

Ashley Westwood then locked things up in the second half, one in which they didn't create many chances but didn't allow Jamshedpur to create much either.

The result lifts Blasters to 11th, while JFC stay fifth, missing out on a chance to go joint-top with Mumbai ahead of their game vs Goa later tonight.


Odisha FC 1 - 1 Mohammedan SC

[Suhair VP 40' - Adison Singh 57']

Bottom-of-the-table Mohammedan SC earned their first point of the season with a creditable 1-1 draw away to Odisha FC, thanks to Adison Singh's first-ever ISL goal. The result keeps Odisha a point ahead of the Kerala Blasters, with their six points from seven games enough for twelfth place.

The hosts took the lead late in the first half via Suhair VP, who scored his second goal of the season in the 40th minute. Lalrinfela Khiangte led a counterattack before threading a pass to Suhair racing down the left-central channel. The Odisha winger took a touch, before lashing a powerful, rising drive past Padam Chettri in the Mohammedan goal as the hosts took a 1-0 lead going into the break.

The visitors equalised just before the hour mark, with Adison Singh scoring his first-ever ISL goal. Mahitosh Roy began the move in central midfield, spreading a clever ball wide to Hira Mondal making an overlapping run down the right wing. The Mohammedan defender then sent in a measured low cross just begging to be turned in, and Adison duly obliged from close range, levelling the game in the 57th minute.

Odisha had the most of the possession after the equaliser but were unable to breach the visitors defence, as Mohammedan hung on for their first points of the season.


Chennaiyin FC 1 - 0 SC Delhi

[Farukh Choudhary 11']

An early strike from Farukh Choudhary proved decisive as Chennaiyin FC secured a hard-fought 1-0 victory over Sporting Club Delhi at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Friday.

The result sees Chennaiyin move to tenth place in the table with eight points from eight matches while Delhi remained in ninth place with the same number of points.

The hosts began on the front foot, applying immediate pressure and forcing goalkeeper Nora Fernandez into two crucial saves within the opening seven minutes. Their bright start was rewarded in the 11th minute when Alberto Noguera delivered a precise first-time through ball to Farukh. The forward unleashed a stunning left-footed strike that sailed into the top right corner, leaving Fernandez as a mere spectator.

Post that, Chennaiyin sat on their lead a little, and allowed Delhi possession, but the visitors didn't really come too close to threatening Mohammed Nawaz's goal until second-half stoppage time, when Sourav K struck a shot which went just wide.


East Bengal 3 - 3 Bengaluru FC

[Anwar Ali 21', Saul Crespo 55', Anton Sojberg 90+7' - Ashique Kuruniyan 12', Suresh Wangjam 39', Ryan Williams 71']

Ten-man East Bengal fought gamely until the end and rescued a point in a 3-3 draw against Bengaluru FC, as Anton Sojberg scored in the last minute of second-half stoppage time to steal a point from Bengaluru FC.

It was a result that eventually helped neither team in the title race, but now Bengaluru could really struggle to make it to the top of the league, with Pep Munoz now having gotten off to a poor start, with just one point in his opening two games in charge of the club.

The night started well for Bengaluru, as Ashique Kuruniyan put them ahead in the 12th minute with a screamer from range, with his right foot. However, that lead lasted only nine minutes, as Bengaluru failed to clear their lines off a set-piece and Anwar Ali popped up with a neat overhead kick to level things up. A touchline squabble between Miguel Ferreira and Ashique saw the East Bengal man sent off, and just a few minutes after that, Bengaluru made the man advantage count, thanks to a msitake from Prabhsukhan Singh Gill, who spilled a Ryan Williams cross into the path of Suresh Wangjam who tapped home into an empty net.

East Bengal came out with intent after the break and were rewarded ten minutes into the second half, with a superb Saul Crespo finish into the bottom corner. Ryan Williams then sent Bengaluru back into the lead with a superb finish from a tight angle after being put through on goal by Soham Varshneya.

However, Sojberg had the last word, as Bengaluru dropped more points, even as it wasn't quite the result that East Bengal would have wanted either.


Kerala Blasters 1 - 1 NorthEast United FC

[ Andy (OG) 42' - Rinzuala 87']

Kerala Blasters saw their shot at a second consecutive win go by the wayside as Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia scored late on as NorthEast United grabbed a 1-1 draw. The result means the Blasters remain second-from-bottom with five points from nine games, while NorthEast remained tenth in the table with seven points.

A relatively quiet first half saw chances at a premium for both sides, although either could have scored in the latter stages of the first half. Víctor Bertomeu looked to have run through on goal in the 36th minute, only for Andy to slide in and deny him. A few minutes later, Jithin MS sent in a teasing cross from the right wing, and Parthib Gogoi eased away from his marker and looked set to score, but was inches away from making contact with the goal at his mercy.

The Blasters opened the scoring in comical fashion in the 42nd minute, which came about from a superbly worked free-kick routine - which saw Karim Benarif set free in space down the right wing. He sent in a peach of a cross for Fallou Ndiaye to head towards goal, but Asheer Akhtar cleared brilliantly off the line with his head. Ndiaye acrobatically attempted an overhead kick from the clearance, which was blocked by Gogoi on the line, but it ricocheted back off Andy and trickled into the net. A few days after their first win of the season Ashley Westwood's side were leading 1-0 going into the break.

Both teams had one-on-one chances to score early in the second half, with Kévin Yoke running clear of the defence after a clever pass from Vibin Mohanan, but saw his effort diverted onto the post. Moments later, Jairo Samperio was put through on goal through the middle, but Arsh Shaikh charged him down before blocking his shot as the score remained 1-0 in favour of the Blasters. Substitute Francisco Feuillassier went close for the Blasters with about ten minutes to go, but the hosts were unable to make the game safe. They were made to pay three minutes from time, when Lalrinzuala Lalbiaknia equalised for NEUFC. Arsh Shaik came out of his goal to palm the all away, but could only find Robin Yadav, whose shot with the keeper stranded cannoned back off the crossbar into Rinzuala's path and he could not miss an open goal from a few yards out - thus levellng the contest.

NorthEast turned up the pressure, but the Blasters held on for a valuable point.