ISL 2022-23: The Matchweek 8 of the tournament is done and dusted. As we enter a three-day break before Matchweek 9 gets underway, we look at the wrap-up of this just-concluded matchweek.
Resilience and fast-paced attacking football were the themes in Matchweek 8 of the 2022-23 Indian Super League (ISL), also contributed by three new league records. The defending champion fell to its second loss in a row to give us a new number one in Mumbai City FC (MCFC). The last year’s league winner was taken apart by a record-breaking Indian player, a couple of teams moved up the table, and Odisha FC (OFC) continued to add more thrill to the season with second-half heroics.
MCFC sets a new record and takes the top spot as NorthEast United (NEUFC) spirals further
MCFC is now the only unbeaten team this season and has a two-point cushion in the first place through their win against NEUFC and Hyderabad FC (HFC) dropping points again. MCFC’s goals tally this season is now 23, which is a new ISL record after eight games- they broke FC Goa’s (FCG’s) record of 22 goals after eight games in the 2018-19 season.
Naorem’s creative masterclass sets a new Hero ISL record for Indian players
VP Suhair scored the season’s fastest goal as he struck after just 90 seconds against Jamshedpur FC (JFC). Striker Cleiton Silva scored twice to go top of the charts for goalscorers this season with five. Naorem Singh assisted all three East Bengal (EBFC) goals, the second and third being tantalizing crosses between the defence and goalkeeper that showed great vision. He became the first Indian player to register three assists in a single game.
Impact substitutes come to the fore again as OFC keeps up its affinity for thrillers
Impact substitutes had won all three points for these two sides in their previous games before coming into this encounter, and former two-time champion Chennaiyin FC (CFC) ended up on the wrong side of that thrill this time. Drama ensued on the pitch as CFC were awarded a penalty in the final minute of the match to close 2-2. However, in the next minute, Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Nandhakumar Sekar combined to find the back of the net in the 95th minute as frustration turned to joy for the Juggernauts for the second week in a row.
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Up next
League-leader MCFC will now have the burden of keeping first place as it hosts Goa this week. In the doubleheader on Saturday, HFC will try to return to winning ways as it visits the Marina Arena to face CFC before former champion Bengaluru FC (BFC) faces a tough challenge against ATK Mohun Bagan (ATKMB) at home. JFC will have another big challenge as Kerala Blasters (KBFC) returns to action after a long break, while NEUFC will hope OFC’s penchant for leaving it late works in its favour.