Day 49 and 50 , Match 46 and 47

Goa and Northeast won their previous matches which gave both the teams a boost. Capdevila is on a red card and his suspension means weak defence of the visitors. It was Northeast's chance to prove that they were worthy enough to hold second position in the first round. Baichung's land, however faced defeat away from home.

Kolkata desperately needed three points to secure their birth for the knockouts and Delhi wanted these three points to keep their hope in the League alive. After a short lived winning streak of two matches, Delhi had to settle for a draw with Kolkata on their home ground.

FC Goa (3) - Northeast United FC (0)

Formation: 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2

Courtesy:ISL

The visitors started the came but lost possession way too early, giving Santos of the home team, a chance to create an early opportunity. Goa made it very clear to the Northeast that they mean some serious business. The home team used both the flanks and played some good crosses and passes. Northeast's defence, as predicted, was frail to an extent that Rehenesh had to work more as the fourth defender than a Keeper (no, we are not comparing him to Neuer). Mandar gave away a free kick to Boithang  by pulling him down. Mtonga pulled a muscle, adding to the woes of the visitors. Goa was more assertive since the beginning, stretching the gap in the attack index, as the game progressed. Romeo's left foot scored ISL's 100th goal! Goa with a lead. Following his injury, Mtonga made way for Keene. Chansa passed the ball to Keene who shot it just above the cross bar. That was the perfect space there where the visitors could have evened the score. Adinga's poor choice to pass the ball instead of taking the shot himself snatched away Northeast's second chance to cancel Romeo's goal. Slepicka couldn't see his opponents wasting such telling chances, so, he decided to double his team's tally. Goa walked in with high spirit as the ref blew half time's whistle. The second half brought no respite to the visitors. Their backline was already weak, Miguel Garcia twisted his ankle to cause more harm. Chansa slipped the ball. Unbelievable! Northeast lost another chance. Koke's shot forced Seda to dive. Garcia and Josl were tripped inside the box. That could have been a penalty but the ref didn't agree. Goa's Brazilian star assured his team of a home victory by netting their third goal of the evening. It was a comfortable win for the home side.

Delhi Dynamos (0) - Atletico de Kolkata (0)

Formation :4-3-3 and 4-2-3-1

Courtesy:ISL

Kolkata started the game by providing an early free kick to the home team. Junker with a chance to score but was easily contained by the defender. With an early free kick, we saw an early booking too. Kolkata's defender Arnab got the yellow card for his rash tackle on Arnab (predictable and expected from Kolkata!). The home team controlled the early minutes of the game. Souvik to Junker, Junker's shot deflected, Souvik collected it again but only to find the Keeper. Great team play by Delhi Dynamos and excellent presentation of skills by Edel. To deflect Pody's corner, van Hout left his line and fell. That was Kolkata's golden opportunity to break the ice but Masih's shot was nowhere near the net. Fikru came into action in the dying minutes of the first half but couldn't do much to flip their score. The first half saw no goal from either of the teams. The second half began with the home team substituting Souvik for Shylo. Dos Santos took the shot but the Keeper stretched and denied him. After a few feeble attempts came a series of free kicks and it favoured none! Although Delhi dominated the game till the end, They couldn't score. One of the justification for this draw is lack of creativity in front and strong defence system. This was true in case of both the teams, so, none of the teams could grab all the three points.

Courtesy:GoogleImages

With every passing game, Zico's men are proving their merit. Northeast needs to seriously work on their defence. The mystery behind using a player like Del Piero as a bench warmer has not only been nudging us but has started to built up a conversation in the newspapers and social media sites as well. There are speculations that it is the sour relationship of the manager and the player that is keeping the Italian international away from the turf. Whatever the reason maybe, we are concerned that it can spoil ISL's growth, making international players lose confidence in the League. Del Piero was the most excited signing of ISL and people really want to see him play (besides this is getting really frustrating too!). We sincerely hope that Harm van Veldhoven tries to understand this and makes his Marquee show some skills!