With the last week of league stage matches in Hero Indian Super League 2016 now upon us, the title contenders are starting to make their moves and secure semi-final berths. Only Mumbai City FC are guaranteed qualification to the semis, while FC Goa have the unwanted tag of being the first team ruled out of contention this season. The remaining six sides, all have mathematical chances of reaching the semis and are making a real fist of the games lately with 59 goals being scored over the past three weeks at an average of 3.11 goals/match.That’s a far cry from the 60 goals scored in the preceding 32 games at an average of 1.88 goals/match. With the conversion rate this season being at an all-time high (12.5), goal-scorers are starting to leave their mark on games. More individuals seem to be taking on the mantle of inspiring their team with breath-taking performances and a few have even managed to cap their displays off with hat-tricks of late.Hero ISL 2015 saw the most number of hat-tricks by players (8) with Stiven Mendoza and Iain Hume accounting for two each with Chennaiyin FC and Atlético de Kolkata respectively. Goa were responsible for three hat-tricks last year with Dudu, Thongkoisiem Haokip and Reinaldo all netting trebles for the Gaurs. Sunil Chhetri also became the first Indian hat-trick scorer in the league last season when he put three past NorthEast United FC’s TP Rehenesh. The inaugural edition of Hero ISL in contrast saw just one treble courtesy of Mumbai City’s Andre Moritz. This year we’ve seen three hat-tricks so far, all of which have come in the past two weeks with two of them happening in the last two matches. / Diego Forlan scored the first hat-trick this season last week by starring in Mumbai’s 5-0 win over Kerala Blasters FC, which also happens to be the biggest win this season. In doing so he continued the Mumbaikars' proud tradition of being the only side in the league to score a hat-trick in all three editions of the Hero ISL. Chennaiyin FC’s Dudu was the second player to score three in a game this year during the Super Machans 3-3 draw with NorthEast United FC. The Nigerian striker, who is the only player to score for three different Hero ISL teams (FC Pune City, FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC), also joined an elite bracket of individuals that have netted trebles twice in the league (Mendoza and Hume)./ Of all three hat-tricks scored this year perhaps there was none more spectacular and pleasing on the eye than that of Delhi Dynamos FC’s Marcelinho. The Lions’ Brazilian talisman turned on the style in Delhi’s 5-1 win against Goa. Marcelinho spearheaded the Dynamos’ comeback with three devastating strikes that left the Gaurs reeling. The 29-year-old became the league’s top-scorer on the night (8 goals) and has also accounted for exactly half of Delhi’s 26 goals this season if his five assists are taken into consideration. Only Mendoza (13 goals and 3 assists) and Hume (11 goals and 4 assists) in Hero ISL 2015 made more contributions to a team in a single season./
