FC Goa vs East Bengal FC: Yet another step dusted in the road to ‘The Invincibles’
The first tie of the night kicked off with Vanshaj of FC Goa taking on East Bengal’s Akshat, where the former took off to a wonderful start by taking the lead within the opening 10 minutes. Vanshaj once again displayed his firepower as he banged in one more, getting Goa two up. Akshat pulled one back immediately with a rocket of a strike. Within minutes, Akshat’s magic saw his never give up spirit, as he put in two more goals to go ahead. Vanshaj, as he’s shown all season, came back to leave the game open once again. With just 15 minutes to go, it was Vanshaj’s time to come back, taking the lead yet again in the game with some brilliant passing in the final third. With just minutes to go, Akshat sealed the comeback once again, making it 4-4. You just can’t stop FC Goa from winning, can you? Vanshaj, in the dying seconds of the game, wrote the first game in Goa’s name with the 5th and winning goal. The co-op game didn’t see a goal until the end of the first 45, where Goa, as usual, took the lead with an easy tap in. Just after the restart, the East Bengal boys came up with one of their own. Once again, East Bengal came from a goal down to take the lead in the game. Goa just don’t go down easily, proving by scoring the equalizing goal and then the goal that put them ahead once again in the game as well. A topsy turvy game once again saw another twist, with East Bengal making it 3-3 with a tiki taka goal that drew the second game. The final game saw Aadizema face-off against Shayantan. Aadizema, just like he’s done all season, put Goa ahead in the final game as well. It didn't take Shayantan long either, squaring off the game once again. Just like the other games, Aadizema banged in Goa’s second of the game. Despite Shayantan’s equalizing goal late in the game, the tie went to FC Goa after securing a thrilling first game.
ATK Mohun Bagan vs Hyderabad FC - The Hyderabad boys come up good
The first saw an equal battle between Jenasid of Hyderabad and Vicky of Mohun Bagan. With both sides firing out equally, it wasn’t until midway through the second half that we saw the first goal of the game, courtesy of a brilliant goal from Jenasid, which turned out to be the goal that separated both sides in the opener. The Hyderabad boys once again scored the opening goal in the 2v2 game as well, combining for a strike in the 25th minute. Jenasid and Warsi joined hands once again, scoring a beauty to get Hyderabad two up and taking the tie comfortably. The final game had Afnan and Warsi go head to head with the latter drawing first blood in the game. A reply came soon with Warsi finding an equalizer to find his way back. Afnan had ATKMB going up in the final game with two lovely goals that had them two goals ahead of Hyderabad. Warsi once again came up with the goal that reduced the deficit to one. Afnan’s dominance in the game extended with him finding his fourth of the game. Afnan found his fifth of the night with a stunning ball roal and a chip over the goalkeeper to find the back of the net. The sixth soon followed as well but it was just a consolation for the ATKMB boys with Hyderabad having already sealed the tie.
Chennaiyin FC vs Kerala Blasters FC: A nail biting contest sees the Blasters move to the playoffs
Navin and Lokmanyu clashed in the first game of the tie. Chennaiyin FC took the lead in just the fourth minute, courtesy of a powerful strike from Navin. The Blasters came back with a goal but Navin once again pulled another one to get the lead back on track. Lokmanyu, with just a minute to go in the game, made it all square at 2-2 and the first game ended in a draw. The Kerala Boys put the team ahead in the co-op game with a well-executed move and a blazing finish. A stunning cross and a terrific volley put the Blasters two up. Chennaiyin FC pulled one back at the end but it was too late and Kerala took the lead in the tie. Chennaiyin’s must-win final game had them going up very early in the game, courtesy of TikkaTown. Shubum wasn’t down for long, finding a way to grab the equalizer and get back towards clinching the tie. The Kerala Blasters after a thrilling last 10 minutes, managed to seal their spot in the playoffs.
A thrilling matchday beckons tonight in the eISL with some thrilling contests to decide who faces who in the playoffs.
