The games are coming thick and fast as the Indian Super League (ISL) table changes shape after every passing game.

It’s that time of the season when the calculators are out as teams try to gauge what they need to reach their respective goals. Matchweek 21 saw some big results that have influenced the race for the League Shield and the playoff spots.

Read: Playoffs spots and League Shield scenarios explained

The matchweek started with Mohun Bagan Super Giant recording an emphatic 3-0 win over Punjab FC to move a step closer to defending their League Shield. Challengers FC Goa did their bit to keep the pressure on the leaders with a 2-1 win over Odisha FC before Mumbai City FC scored a vital win over NorthEast United FC as Shillong welcomed ISL for the first time.

Hyderabad FC beat Mohammedan SC in the first game of Saturday’s double headers which ended with Chennaiyin FC’s 3-0 win over East Bengal FC in Kolkata. Bengaluru FC then ended their winless run with a 3-0 win over Jamshedpur FC before the matchweek drew close with Odisha FC’s battling draw against Punjab FC with ten men.

As we quickly move to Matchweek 22, here are the key takeaways from the last matchweek.

The Kaith Wall

Vishal Kaith added another clean sheet to his name when the Mariners blanked the Shers at home in Matchweek 21. With that shutout, Kaith has now logged 12 clean sheets in the ongoing ISL campaign, the most a keeper has managed in a single season in competition history.

Jose Molina’s team have an array of brilliant attackers but their success this season has largely been down to their defence and Kaith has been a huge part of it. With 60 saves, he is third on the list of goalkeepers with most saves this season and is remarkable for a team at the top end of the table.

His presence in goal has added stability to the Mariners defence which is close to guiding the team to a second successive League Shield triumph.

Odisha FC’s Gaurs hoodoo continues

FC Goa remain unbeaten in the ISL against Odisha FC, having faced them 12 times now (W8 D4). This is the most times a team has played an opponent without losing in the ISL.

Manolo Marquez is now unbeaten in five straight ISL games against Sergio Lobera (W3 D2), his joint-longest such streak against a single manager in the competition (also vs Owen Coyle); similarly, Lobera’s five-game winless run against Manolo Marquez is his joint longest such run against any manager in competition history (also vs Carles Cuadrat).

Mumbai City FC’s century

The Islanders became the first team to reach 100 ISL wins as they saw off NorthEast United FC 2-0 at Shillong in the first-ever ISL match in the city.

Goals from Bipin Singh and Lallianzuala Chhangte sealed crucial three points for the Islanders who have now beaten the Highlanders 12 times, the joint-highest numbers of wins they have recorded against an opponent in the league’s history.

Petr Kratky’s men now have some breathing space in terms of their playoff dreams but have almost no margin for error if they are to book a direct place in the semi-finals via a top-two finish.

As for Juan Pedro Benali’s men, the defeat at their new home meant the margin for error is minimum and a defeat in their next match could take matters out of their hands in terms of the playoff spot chase.

Unwanted records pile up for East Bengal FC

East Bengal FC’s 0-3 loss against Chennaiyin FC is their joint biggest margin of defeat at home in the ISL (also 0-3 vs Mumbai City FC on 16 December 2022). This is the eighth time in the ongoing ISL season that East Bengal FC have failed to find the back of the net, doing so more often only in 2021-22.

Chennaiyin FC’s opening goal was the 10th own goal East Bengal FC have conceded in the ISL, joint second most by any side (also Odisha FC and NorthEast United FC); only Hyderabad FC (13) have conceded more in competition history.

Lalchungnunga received his third red card in the ongoing ISL season, the joint most by any player in a single season (also Ahmed Jahouh in 2024-25); in fact, it was East Bengal FC’s eighth red card this season, the outright most for any side in a single season in competition history.

The defeat also meant that their playoff hopes are hanging by a thread and barring a miracle, the Red and Gold brigade will miss out on the playoffs once again.

The Blues end winless run

Bengaluru FC ended their six-match winless run which started with a 2-1 defeat away to Jamshedpur FC with a resounding 3-0 success against the same opponents at the Sree Kanteerava stadium on Sunday.

The victory was a much-needed boost for the Blues whose League Shield hopes slipped away during a bad run of results that threatened to also put their place in the top six in danger.

But the three points against Khalid Jamil’s men have kept matters very much in their own hands when it comes to securing a place in the playoffs.