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Midway through this Indian Super League season, the city of Mumbai was invincible. A five-point lead over runner-up ATK Mohun Bagan made it seem like the question of which team would qualify for the Asian Champions League was settled and it was just a matter of which three other teams would join them in the playoffs.

Cut to a few weeks later and Mumbai has stumbled. In a seven-game streak, the Islanders drew three and lost two. One of those losses came last night, when an injured Bengaluru FC struck four times and only received a response twice.

The history of the season for Mumbai has been a fast start followed by a relaxed gallop to the finish line. But it was Bengaluru, on the verge of giving up his hope of a playoff spot, who scored in the first minute. Sergio Lobera’s team tried to counterattack at various points in the game thereafter, but eventually conceded after Sunil Chhetri, playing his 200th game for the club, ended proceedings with a final salvo in time of discount to add to your other goal of the match. match up and end Mumbai reign at the top of the table, for now.

Playoff race

FC Goa, NorthEast United FC and Hyderabad FC are neck and neck in the race for the remaining two spots for a playoff spot after Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan secured the top two spots. It seems more and more likely that the player at the table, who will win a spot in the upcoming Asian Champions League season, will be decided after the final match of the league phase between Mumbai City and ATK Mohun Bagan.

For FC Goa, this season of the Indian Super League has been a strange experience. After almost two seasons of Sergio Lobera and a core of strong foreign players, Goa’s decline has not been as bad as expected. A new coach in Juan Ferrando and new signings like Igor Angulo and Ishan Pandita have fitted in well.

Despite this, Goa has drawn its last five games, including its 19th round match against Chennaiyin FC, which ended in a 2-2 draw.

On the one hand, it appears the Gaurs have downgraded their bet to make the playoffs. On the other hand, the wrestling displays that have ensured that these draws weren’t losses in the first place, paint a completely different picture.

Goa has three more games left in the league and has to face low-ranking clubs like Odisha FC and SC East Bengal. But their last league game will be against Hyderabad FC, who, whether they make the playoffs or not, have proven to be the league’s ‘Indian’ team.

Indian angle

If there is a common theme among recent ISL teams, it is that winning teams have a core of strong foreign players. But Hyderabad FC has bucked that trend and is currently in fifth position in the league table and is tied on points with Goa with a solo goal that marks the difference between the two teams.

A look at the statistics reveals just how crucial the Indian players have been to Hyderabad’s cause. Ashish Rai and Akash Mishra, two of Hyderabad’s defenders, are currently in the Top 5 of the ISL interception charts. They are also in the top 5 for the maximum number of touches in the league and both players rank on the Top 10 list with the most passes completed this season. The duo have done better than the established players on the national team and it is the main reason Hyderabad is in the running to be in the playoffs this season.

The foreign hand

The other team in playoff contention currently is NorthEast United FC, which is two points behind Goa and Hyderabad after 17 games. NEUFC showed some lightning-fast counterattack moves in their previous match against Odisha FC, where they ran out of the winners 3-1.

Luis Machado scored goal number five and six this season for NEUFC against Odisha, the first being an exquisite volley from the edge of the area and then the second a routine header to ensure his team remains in the best position to qualify for the playoffs. – which would be only the second time in NorthEast United history, if it happened.

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