The Hero Indian Super League (ISL) has taken Indian football by storm. The stats tell a splendid story of the enthralling action that has been witnessed. At the completion of the first leg of the group stage on Tuesday comprising 28 matches, a whopping 63 goals had been scored, 228 corners forced, 820 crosses sent in, 931 tackles thrown and 1,973 interceptions made by the eight teams in the competition. There were 99 cautions and five red cards flashed as well.At the midway point after each team has played seven games each, early leaders Atlético de Kolkata (12 points) can consider themselves lucky that they are still perched at the top of the table, ahead of Chennaiyin FC only on goal difference. Third placed FC Pune City (11 points) and Mumbai City FC (10) also failed to take their chances to dislodge the Kolkatans. The league leaders kicked off with a stunning 3-0 victory over Mumbai at Kolkata’s Salt Lake Stadium in the inaugural match and were unbeaten through their first six games before being shocked in their own den by Pune 1-3 as their campaign began to stutter. Chennaiyin were the first team to win away, 1-2 over FC Goa. Ironically, although player-coach Marco Materazzi is a renowned defender, his side have yet to keep a clean sheet. But they lead the league in goals scored (14).Pune City hit form after a slow start and now look a settled combination with Dudu Omagbemi proving to be a powerful spearhead. Mumbai also turned things around following two big defeats (5-1 in Chennai being the second) and kept three consecutive clean sheets, winning two and drawing one. Peter Reid has managed to instill defensive solidity in a team brimming with attacking talents.NorthEast United FC (nine points) proved to be the surprise package of the first leg. Ricki Herbert’s Highlanders showcase a youthful exuberance, solid defence and incisive passing going forward. Their resilience is also impressive. Kerala Blasters FC (eight points) have bounced back after two opening defeats. David James’ side play attacking and cohesive football, but scoring is their Achilles heel, having jointly managed to net the least goals (five) with Goa.Sixth-placed Delhi Dynamos (seven points) have the best defence, conceding only five times, and goalkeeper Kristof Van Hout leads the race for the Golden Glove. Harm van Veldhoven is no doubt pleased with this aspect, but will expect more from his strikers who failed to score in four games. Delhi also had the most draws (four) in the first leg. The lack of goals is an issue that also plagues cellar team Goa (five points), who are surprisingly league leaders in many attacking metrics. If they sort this out, Zico’s team could go all the way.The topsy-turvy results in the first leg and the sheer unpredictably of the league means that no team can take its place in the top four for granted. Goa and Delhi are struggling for now, but the coveted semi-final slots are not beyond their reach. All teams have shown the capability of upping the ante and they will need to deliver big time in the second leg to make the semis. Even more exciting football is in store.
