The third match week of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2017-18 came to a close on Sunday, and while there were fewer goals (15) as the previous one, it was not devoid of its share of thrills and spills. It started off with the first ‘Maha’ derby, followed by a seven-goal thriller at Goa, and capped off by an entertaining draw in front of the country’s largest fanbase in Kochi. The week had a milestone achievement, with the Hero ISL’s 500th goal being scored, as well as the first hat-trick of the season being netted. There were also two sending-offs this time, as things took a heated turn on the pitch. Here are the results of the week gone by, and some of the key talking points.

FULL-TIME RESULTS

Match 11: FC Pune City 2 – 1 Mumbai City FC (Match report)

Match 12: FC Goa 4 – 3 Bengaluru FC (Match report)

Match 13: Jamshedpur FC 0 – 0 ATK (Match report)

Match 14: Delhi Dynamos FC 0 – 2 NorthEast United FC (Match report)

Match 15: FC Pune City 0 – 1 Chennaiyin FC (Match report)

Match 16: Kerala Blasters FC 1 – 1 Mumbai City FC (Match report)

MOMENTS OF THE WEEK

FC Pune City come out on top in the season’s first ‘Maha’ derby

To start off with, one could not have asked for a better way to whet the appetite for quality football, as local rivals Pune and Mumbai locked horns in the first encounter of the match week. Emiliano Alfaro’s brace ensured that the Stallions completed a comeback victory over the Islanders, who had initially taken the lead through some Balwant Singh magic. Pune extended their advantage in the head-to-head, winning four derbies compared to Mumbai’s two, while drawing one.

Bengaluru FC succumb to first ISL defeat at the hands of FC Goa, as Corominas bags season’s first hat-trick

The Blues were riding high after winning the first two fixtures of their inaugural season, and were set to make it a perfect three. FC Goa’s Ferran Corominas though, had other ideas. He scored in the 16th, 33rd and 63rd minutes to net the first hat-trick of the season, while fellow Spaniard, Manuel Lanzarote scored the one from the spot. Nevertheless, The Blues’ fighting spirit was commendable as they had levelled things at 3-3 after trailing 3-1 at half-time, thanks to a brace from Miku, and a goal from energetic midfielder, Erik Paartalu. They managed this feat despite custodian, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu being shown a red card in the 36th minute. Despite Bengaluru FC’s commendable efforts, Corominas had the last laugh after he completed his hat-trick with the deciding goal, however, the debutants from Bengaluru remain table-toppers for now, owing to a superior goal difference.

Jamshedpur FC are yet to concede or win

One of the Hero ISL’s new franchises, Jamshedpur FC played out a third successive goalless draw, this time against defending champions, ATK. The first ever ISL match at the JRD Tata Sports Complex turned out to be a torrid affair for both the teams, given the poor pitch conditions. For ATK, this is the first time that the side from Kolkata have gone without a win in any of their first three fixtures.

Danilo Lopes scores the league’s 500th goal as NorthEast pick up their first win of the season

The Highlanders came up with a clinical 2-0 win over Delhi Dynamos FC, as Marcinho and Danilo Lopes came up with first-half strikes. Lopes’ goal was the milestone 500th goal in the history of the Hero ISL, as he made the most of Albino Gomes’ mistake from a back-pass to coolly slot home into an open goal in the 22nd minute. The win gave NorthEast their first victory of the season, as they currently sit at fifth position on the league table.

Two red cards over the week as tempers flared

After Jamshedpur FC’s Andre Bikey was given the marching orders in the opening week against NorthEast United, this time around, Bengaluru FC goalkeeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and Kerala Blasters’ local boy, CK Vineeth were sent for early showers in their respective matches. Sandhu lost his cool in the match against FC Goa when he reacted angrily to Manuel Lanzarote’s nudge, pushing him to the ground. Vineeth on the other hand, received two yellow cards in the encounter against Mumbai City FC, the second of which was due to simulation inside the penalty box.

The next week promises some more intense action, with the likes of FC Goa playing hosts to Kerala Blasters at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium among other matches. For upcoming fixtures and recent match updates, click here.