In a country that lacks a proper football culture, to be boasting of a league fourth most attended one in the world is an achievement by itself, not to mention its popularity in Asia that garners quite a lot of attention for not being a particularly great footballing region.
Football in India, immensely popular at one point of time but now confined to a few pockets of the country, has taken giant leaps towards restoring some of its lost pride.
The Indian Super League (ISL) has turned tables in Asia and it can only grow leaps and bounds from here, following a very successful inaugural season that has grabbed the eyeballs of football fans around the world. The presence of great footballers and coaches like Zico will only help to improve the quality of football in the country.
As we now head into the last stage of the round-robin matches, IBNLive takes a look at the equation as to which teams stand a chance of securing a berth in the semi-finals.
Chennaiyin FC:
The team co-owned by Bollywood star Abhishek Bachchan is the table-topper after 12 games in the eight-team league. With 22 points, Chennaiyin FC are four points clear of second and third placed FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata, respectively. Chennai ensured a place in the semi-finals with a 1-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC on Sunday, courtesy Brazilian midfielder Bruno Pelissari's individual brilliance. With just two more games to go, Chennaiyin are hopeful of holding on to their top spot.
FC Goa
The team coached by none other than Brazilian legend Zico is having a fairytale run in the tournament. Having started their campaign on a lowly note, losing five of their first six games, FC Goa bounced back in stunning fashion to register three victories on the trot. They finished their home campaign with a 3-0 drubbing of NorthEast United FC to jump to second place in the league, brightening their chances of making it to the semi-finals. With 18 points from 12 matches, it will take catastrophic results to block Goa's way to the play-offs.
Atletico de Kolkata
One of the most popular franchises in the league, Atletico de Kolkata is a team co-owned by former Indian cricket captain and a self-confessed football fan, Sourav Ganguly. Kolkata was the first team to be officially launched in the ISL and also the most expensive of all the eight franchises. The team also shares a blood line with current La Liga holders Atletico Madrid. Kolkata set the tone of the tournament with a 3-0 win over Mumbai City FC in the opening match of the ISL in front of 60,000 odd fans at the Salt Lake Stadium in the City of Joy. Their Spanish DNA soon made them the team to beat, but after showing initial sings of invincibility, Kolkata were pecked by a series of tough draws as they lost their long-standing top position to Chennaiyin FC. Currently billed at the third spot with 18 points, behind FC Goa due to the Goan side's superior goal difference, Kolkata are just one win away from making it to the semi-finals.
FC Pune City
A team featuring one of the finest French strikers of his generation, David Trezeguet, FC Pune City kept their semi-final hopes alive through a 2-0 victory over state rivals Mumbai City FC on Wednesday. The result ended Pune's five-match winless streak and virtually knocked Mumbai out of semi-finals reckoning. Pune have had a rollercoaster ride in the tournament and with 16 points from 12 matches, the team co-owned by Bollywood star Hritik Roshan will have to win both their next matches against Delhi Dynamos and Kerala Blasters FC in order to see themselves in the top four.
All the teams are fighting neck and neck for a place in the top four and no team apart from leaders Chennaiyin FC are guaranteed a place in the semi-final. While FC Goa and Atletico de Kolkata are almost certain of qualifying into the last four, it's a tough three-way battle between FC Pune City, Kerala Blasters FC and Delhi Dynamos FC for the last spot.
The league, barely seven weeks old, has generated a lot of excitement if not cosmic success and still has a plenty of room to grow.
Comments
0 comment