It was goals galore in Matchweek 7 of the Indian Super League (ISL) as the six matches saw 27 goals being scored. There were no draws and only two teams managed to keep a clean sheet.

Matchweek 7 saw 4.5 goals per game with five teams scoring three or more times in a single match this MW.

The week started with Mohun Bagan Super Giant’s ascend towards the top of the table gathering pace as they brushed aside Hyderabad FC 2-0. Then Punjab FC continued their excellent start to the season with a 3-2 victory over Chennaiyin FC. The biggest result of the week happened in Goa as the Gaurs thumped Bengaluru FC 3-0 at the Fatorda to bring their unbeaten start to a close.

NorthEast United FC further gained momentum as they edged Odisha FC 3-2 in a thriller in Guwahati on Sunday before Mumbai City FC saw off Kerala Blasters FC 4-2 in another entertaining Sunday affair.

The matchweek ended with Chennaiyin FC bouncing back from their defeat at the start of the matchweek with a 5-1 win away to Jamshedpur FC.

As we head into matchweek 8, here’s a quick look at the key takeaways from matchweek 7

Bengaluru FC stunned

Gerard Zaragoza’s team had emerged as the team to beat in the early part of ISL 2024-25 as they started their campaign with five wins and a draw in their first six matches, conceding just one goal in the process.

They were favourites heading into the match against FC Goa who had blown hot and cold before the game. However, Manolo Marquez’s men got their act together and displayed what they are capable of if they maintained their levels for the full 90 minutes. A power-packed second-half performance led by goals from Armando Sadiku, Dejan Drazic and Brison Fernandes the Gaurs put an end to Bengaluru FC’s unbeaten start in some style.

The return of Sandesh Jhingan was a stabilising factor for FC Goa as they kept their first clean sheet of the season while the question marks around the Blues’ away form resurfaced after the heavy loss in Goa, despite them remaining top of the table despite the defeat.

Luka Majcen’s return lifts Punjab FC

The Shers were mostly missing in action in October as they played just two games in the month. And to suffer a defeat in such a period where you don’t get an instant chance at redemption can be tough. But every situation has a positive side and a negative side and on the brighter side, Punjab FC’s absence from the league allowed them to recover their star forward Luka Majcen.

The Slovenian is one of the few experienced heads at Punjab FC and the Shers needed his leadership as they lost their perfect record at Bengaluru FC in the previous match. Majcen led from the front, scoring goals on either side of halftime to help the Shers overcome a deficit and claim three points. The win put Punjab FC back on track and have now dropped the fewest points in the league this season.

Panagiotis Dilmperis highlighted the importance of the experience that his captain brings to the table and Majcen stayed true to his manager’s words.

Unstoppable Alaaeddine

Alaaeddine Ajaraie got on the scoresheet again and it surprised very few that he did. Such has been his consistency since setting foot in Indian football, that him putting the ball in the back of the net is an expected outcome.

Ajaraie has now registered 13 goal contributions in seven ISL games (nine goals and four assists), the outright most by any player after as many games in the competition, overtaking Ferran Corominas (12 – nine goals and three assists).

The Moroccan is also just the third player to register three-plus goal contributions in consecutive ISL games after Corominas (in November-December 2017) and Roy Krishna (in February 2020).

The 31-year-old is also closing in on another record. He has scored four goals from outside the box in the ongoing ISL season; the single-season record in the competition for such goals is 5 (Javi Hernandez and Bartholomew Ogbeche, both in 2021-22).

Chhangte checks-in

Mumbai City FC have had a slow start to the season claiming just one win in their first five ISL matches this season. Their star player and captain Lallianzuala Chhangte hadn’t got going until Sunday when he scored a goal and provided an assist to inspire a 4-2 win over Kerala Blasters FC.

It was his 150th game in the ISL as he became just the seventh player to reach this landmark and he marked the game with a fine performance.

Chhangte recorded a goal and an assist in the same game for the seventh time, only Corominas (11), Greg Stewart (8) and Hugo Boumous (8) recorded more such instances in competition history.

With their main man back in form, expect the Islanders to surge up the league table.

Chennaiyin FC flex their attacking muscles

Chennaiyin FC had a mixed week as they lost one and won the other game in MW7 but Owen Coyle will be extremely pleased with his team’s attack that netted seven goals in these two games.

Leading the scoring spree was Wilmar Jordan Gil, who scored his first goal against Jamshedpur FC in the ISL, scoring in four consecutive games for the Marina Machans. He is just the fourth Chennaiyin FC player to score in four or more consecutive games for the club in the competition after Nerijus Valskis, Jeje Lalpheklua and Elano.

Young forward Irfan Yadwad also helped himself into the record books with a fine display against Jamshedpur FC. Yadwad recorded a goal and two assists against Jamshedpur FC today, becoming the first Indian player to record three goal contributions in a single game in the ongoing ISL season.

Midfielder Connor Shields was also impressive as apart from his goal against Jamshedpur FC, recorded 17 crosses each in the match against Jamshedpur FC and Punjab FC, his joint-highest such total in a single game in the ISL.