Day 50 and 51, Match 48 and 49

When Pune and Mumbai last met, the dream city demolished their opponent with a 5-0 win. Now was the perfect time for Pune to take revenge of their defeat in their own background.

It was essential for Northeast to win this match or at least settle for a draw if they want to be in the League. A lose here would see them leaving the game because of low points.

FC Pune City (2) - Mumbai City FC (0)

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

Courtesy:ISL

Even though it is Maharashtran derby and not Manchester derby, we still feel pretty exited! The guests, Mumbai, started the game but soon it was Pune's Pritam who was running with the ball. Dudu received the ball from Pritam and sent it straight in the hands of the Keeper. Mumbai got a corner in the initial minutes of the match but Friedrich headed it just above the bar. Kwang-11 Park created pressure on the visitors with his dribbling and passing skills. Paul again denied Dudu. Katsouranis with an on-target shot. Paul really had to sweat because of Pune's continuous attacks. Pune highly dominated the attack index in the first half (92% to 8%). Costa got injured and Mumbai had to do a forced substitution; Didika entered. Cmovs was the only player in Mumbai's defence who tried really hard to protect Paul. Mumbai finally came into action at the brink of the first half but in that attempt Friedrich got injured as his head got collided with that of Abhishek's when the Indian forward was trying to direct the ball into the net. The second half began with a dramatic event. Didika's shot touched Pritam's hand and Mumbai derived a penalty out of it. Tiago took the shot and Arindham successfully stopped it by diving to his right. What a save it was! This not-so-powerful attack must have really given Reid a heart attack. Handball against Vadocz's shot. After a lot of show, the match saw its first goal. With Katsouranis' assist, Dudu finally broke the ice in the home teams favour. The duo brought delight to the supporters again as after a few minutes of the first goal, Katsouranis set up Dudu again and the Nigerian forward scored again. Mumbai lost all hope after two goals from Pune and it was prominent in their performance. Pune avenged their previous defeat!

Kerala Blaster FC (0) - Northeast United FC (0)

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

Courtesy:ISL

The home team took charge early in the game with the help of their favourite Iain Hume. He first came with two continuous headers and then with a defence breaking run. Though he couldn't do much with it but it surely pressurized the visitors as the forward has early goals registered under his name. While clearing a ball, the Keeper ran into Hume and got hurt in the process. It was a neck to neck competition as Kerala presented their creative strikers while Northeast promoted their strong defence. Northeast finally had a chance to score the first goal of the evening through Felipe and Miguel Garcia but after a little struggle the ball was cleared. Pearson's shot was very near to the goal. Kerala were very close to find the opener but the first half did not see any ball in the net. The second half saw Hume once again deflecting the ball with his head. Orji was brought down by Len. This wasn't a penalty but it deserved some action as opposed to referee's decision to play-on. Milagres' ball hit Robin on the arm. We are certain that it was a penalty in home team's favour. James Keene reacted to hit Chopra for his tackle and was booked with a red card. Well, it was the home team that dominated the game till the end but couldn't score even in front of a team with ten players. Both the teams had to share points for this match.

Courtesy:ISL

It was an easy win for Pune against Ranbir Kapoor's team. For the other match, Kerala could have easily capitalised on the red card situation of their opponent. They created many telling chances and were fierce but at the end it is the score board that really matters.