Goal fests, spectacular late equalisers and closely contested stalemates – Week 8 of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) had us buzzing with excitement throughout. The week also saw Hero ISL welcome a very special guest in the form of former World Cup-winning German captain Lothar Matthaus.

With a tightly-packed schedule awaiting the teams ahead of the winter break, positives results were the need of the hour as we inch closer to the playoff stage. Here are all the results and some of the major talking points from the week gone by:

Match 47: Delhi Dynamos FC 2-4 Mumbai City FC (Match report)

Match 48: Kerala Blasters FC 1-1 Jamshedpur FC (Match report)

Match 49: NorthEast United FC 1-1 Bengaluru FC (Match report)

Match 50: Mumbai City FC 2-0 Chennaiyin FC (Match report)

Match 51: Kerala Blasters FC 0-1 FC Pune City (Match report)

Match 52: NorthEast United FC 0-0 ATK (Match report)

Match 53: Bengaluru FC 1-1 Mumbai City FC (Match report) 

Second-half goal fest in Delhi

Monday’s tie between Mumbai and Delhi served us a treat with the Islanders pulling off a stunning second-half comeback to register their fifth victory of the campaign. Goals from Rafael Bastos, Paulo Machado, Raynier Fernandes and an own goal by Marti Crespi piled on the misery for Josep Gombau and Co. as they remained victoryless this season. Mumbai, on the other hand, find themselves in a very favourable position to qualify for the playoffs.

Chencho’s wonder goal

Bengaluru are yet to face defeat this season in their 10 matches so far and have firmly established themselves as the team to beat. However, the unbeaten run could have, very easily, come to an abrupt halt against the Highlanders on Wednesday. Under Eelco Schattorie, NorthEast have looked a dangerous outfit and were on track for their biggest result of the season after Federico Gallego put them in front against the league leaders. With just minutes to go for the final whistle, it looked as though NorthEast had done what no other team in the league had. But up stepped Chencho Gyeltshen with a moment of magic. The Bhutanese Ronaldo, as he is fondly called, equalised in injury time with a stunning overhead kick. We will need something really special to outdo this gem of a goal as the prime contender for goal of the season.

Hume returns to God’s own country

 Pune’s tie against Kerala on Friday will be remembered for the emotional return of one of the league’s most decorated players to Kochi. Hero ISL’s all-time top goal scorer Iain Hume stepped out in Pune colours to face off against his former team, Kerala. The Canadian firmly established himself as a fan favourite during his two stints at the South Indian club in the past. Pune ran out as 1-0 winners in the match, courtesy of a goal from Marcelo Pereira.

Matthaus’ India visit

This past week, one of the greatest midfielders in football history, Lothar Matthaus, visited India as part of the Bundesliga Legends tour. The former Bayern Munich captain was in attendance for two matches - Kerala vs Jamshedpur on December 4 and Mumbai vs Chennaiyin on December 6. After witnessing the quality of football on display, Matthaus expressed his excitement with the way Indian football has progressed in the country and lauded the Hero ISL for its role in bringing out the best talents in the country.

10-man Mumbai hold Bengaluru

Sunday’s encounter between Bengaluru and Mumbai lived up to its billing as a clash of the heavyweights. A goal each from Udanta Singh and Modou Sougou meant that both shared the spoils. Mumbai’s Sehnaj Singh was sent-off for a double booking in the second-half, making for an intriguing finish to the match. However, the story could have been completely different had either side taken their chances. With a host of opportunities and plenty of heated clashes throughout the 90 minutes, the fans at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium were left on the edge of their seats.