The top ten moments of the Indian Super League

By Sreya Mazumder When Mohammad Rafique’s header made its way past David James into the bottom corner of the net, it capped off what has been an amazing three months football. The Indian Super League captivated thousands of fans across India, creating moments of footballing brilliance which stayed with the fans long after the match was decided. Here are the 10 best: Fikru Scores The First Goal Of The ISL, October 12 It was the big opening night of the highly anticipated tournament when Atletico de Kolkata locked horns with Mumbai City FC. With movie stars, cricketing legends and corporate honchos in attendance, Fikru Teferra stole the limelight in the first half as he netted the first goal of the competition. Picking up a through ball from the midfield, Fikru chipped it over Subrata Paul to give his side a lead and set in motion a chain of events leading up to a magnificent spectacle that the tournament proved to be. [caption id=“attachment_2001403” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Elano had a superb start in the ISL. ISL[/caption] Elano’s Screamer At Fatorda Stadium, October 15 Elano Blumer has scored some fantabulous goals for Chennaiyin FC. The 33-year-old marquee player was the star for Abhishek Bachchan’s side in the group stages. The winner of the Golden Boot in the competition, Elano opened his account in Chennai’s fixture at Goa. After Zico’s team had conceded a foul just outside the left edge of the penalty box, Elano took the resulting free-kick and belted a screamer at the top right corner of the goal. Gustavo Announces Himself, October 25 Gustavo Marmentini Dos Santos, a graduate from the Atletico Paranaense’s youth academy, announced himself in style during Delhi Dynamos’ match against Chennaiyin FC. The 20-year-old who was promoted to Paranaense’s senior squad earlier this year was loaned out to Dynamos and the attacking midfielder grabbed the opportunity with both hands, as he finished with 5 goals and 2 assists in 13 appearances. It was a special solo goal for the youngster as he picked up the ball around the halfway line, took out two Chennaiyin players out of the equation with a swift turn, dribbled past Silvestre and put the ball in the back of the net as a stunned Gennaro Bracigliano could only stand and watch in disbelief. Rehenesh’s Rise To Fame, October 29 TP Rehenesh has been one of the success stories of Indian Super League. In a season which has seen more panache than ineptitude from the goalkeepers of the eight clubs, Reheneesh has been a constant pillar of semblance for the struggling North-East United FC. With a mammoth save percentage of 78%, the highest among all Indian keepers, Rehenesh rose to fame against Delhi Dynamos with three fantastic saves – one off Alessandro Del Piero and a double save off Mulder. Him saving Jan Mulder’s shot on goal in the final ten minutes didn’t just give his team a crucial one point, but also played a role in Delhi eventually not qualifying for the knockouts. Tolgay Ozbey’s Goal Starts Goa’s Resurgence, November 13 Goa’s resurgence with Zico’s new tactical system began against Delhi Dynamos in the Indian capital. Ozbey scored the final goal in Goa’s 4-1 rout of Delhi, but it was a brilliantly taken one. Ozbey’s goal not only marked the beginning of Goa’s resurgence from the bottom of the table to the knock-out stages, but also epitomized the style of football Zico propagated. He would go on to score four more goals for the semi-finalists in the later matches. Franco Colomba’s Wild Celebrations, December 3 Franco Colomba, the whimsical manager of FC Pune City, was sent off twice in the tournament. In the match against Mumbai City FC, Colomba celebrated twice with his goalkeeper, high-fiving him but both the goals were disallowed. He was shown a red after his wild celebrations ensued for the second time in the match, but his on-field eccentricities probably count among one of the most intriguing moments of Indian Super League this season, many considering Colomba’s outlandish attitude a perfect complement to Pune’s fiery brand of football. Iain Hume’s Free Kick Makes It Around The Wall, December 9 With both Kerala and Pune needing a victory to qualify for the knockouts, Hume scored a stunner of a free-kick in the first half which turned out to be the winner for Kerala. After being brought down, Hume himself took the set piece and curled his shot around the outside edge of Pune’s defensive wall. Arindam Bhattacharya just got his fingertips to the ball, but failed to stop its momentum. Stephen Pearson Helps Kerala Qualify For The Finals, December 16 Chennaiyin FC had made a brilliant comeback in the second leg of the first semi-finals, after Kerala had taken an almost unassailable 3-0 lead after the first leg in Kochi. Tied on an aggregate score of 3-3, Stephen Pearson who had been a tireless workhorse for pretty much most of the game, collected a lobbed ball from Jhingan, dribbled past the last line of Kerala defense and scored, putting Kerala in the finals. Edel Bete Saves Chopra’s Shot From Close Range, December 20 The final had been a closely contested affair between Kerala Blasters FC and Atletico de Kolkata. Late into the second half, it was end-to-end stuff as both teams looked to get on the score-sheet. Seven minutes from the final whistle, Michael Chopra skipped past three Atletico defenders and steadied himself to take a shot from six yards out of the goal. It seemed the goal was inevitable, but Bete had other plans. He made a brilliant diving save towards his left to keep Kolkata in the game. In a tournament which had seen some excellent saves, this one from the Armenian definitely took the cake! Rafique Scores The Championship Winner, December 20 The 22-year-old central midfielder from Kolkata had only made one appearance before the finals. Even in the finals, he came on as a substitute. Unmarked at the near post, Rafique got on the end of a brilliant corner from Pody, heading it into the bottom corner, just beyond David James’ reach. Celebrations erupted in the stands and across the City of Joy as Atletico firmly grasped the title, with less than a minute to go in the stoppage time. In a tournament devised to develop football at grassroots level in the country, it was thoroughly apt that an Indian won Atletico the cup.