The Round 19 of the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2021-22 season witnessed late drama, cracking goals, and some huge upsets, as the race for the top four gets intense.

The round started with NorthEast United FC beating Bengaluru FC in a 2-1 victory, with the former dealing a huge blow to the latter in their top four ambitions. Then, arch-rivals Kerala Blasters FC and ATK Mohun Bagan shared the points after a stoppage time goal by Joni Kauko kept their 12-game unbeaten run on track.

Meanwhile, Hyderabad FC continued to dominate their position on the top of the table with a 3-2 win over FC Goa. In the penultimate match, Jamshedpur FC marched closer to the semi-final spot with a 4-1 win over Chennaiyin FC.

In the final match of Round 19, Bengaluru FC came from behind to win 2-1 against Odisha FC, keeping their top four hopes alive.

At the end of Round 19, here is the Hero ISL Team of the Week.

Formation: 3-4-3

Goalkeeper:

Laxmikant Kattimani (Hyderabad FC) - 7.07

The shot-stopper faced seven shots on goal and fended away five of those to help his side remain on the top of the table.

Defenders:

Laldinliana Renthlei (Jamshedpur FC) - 6.87

The defender made five successful tackles, two interceptions, a clearance and block each to hold the backline.

Pritam Kotal (ATK Mohun Bagan) - 6.94

The skipper was pivotal with an assist, and created two goalscoring chances, mounting a comeback to maintain his side’s unbeaten run.

Roshan Naorem (Bengaluru FC) - 7.05

The full-back provided an assist and created two goalscoring chances alongside making four clearances, two interceptions, and one tackle in his side’s encounter against Odisha FC.

Midfielders:

Adrian Luna (Kerala Blasters FC) - 9.27

The Blasters’ powerhouse netted a brace and created two goalscoring chances. In the defensive unit, Luna made five interceptions, two tackles, one clearance and block each. His all-round performance won him the Hero of the Match Award.

Joao Victor (Hyderabad FC) - 7.84

The midfielder played a decisive role as he netted the winning goal in their 3-2 victory against FC Goa.

Ritwik Das (Jamshedpur FC) - 8.01

Das exhibited a quality performance as he fired the opening goal, and also created a goalscoring chance.

Joni Kauko (ATK Mohun Bagan) - 7.8

The Finnish midfielder left it late with a stoppage time equaliser to maintain his side’s unbeaten run of 12 games. Kauko also made two interceptions, a tackle, and a block.

Forwards:

Bartholomew Ogbeche (Hyderabad FC) - 9.74

The leading all-time ISL goalscorer brought in his cavalry with two goals in his side’s clash against FC Goa and had a 100% conversion rate. Ogbeche also provided an assist and created three goalscoring chances.

Jorge Ortiz (FC Goa) - 8.54

Ortiz netted the equaliser for his side, but it wasn’t enough to mount a comeback in their game against Hyderabad FC. The forward had two of his shots on target and also had a crisp passing accuracy of 85%

Greg Stewart (Jamshedpur FC) - 8.21

The Scottish forward made his mark as he provided two assists and created an astonishing seven goalscoring chances in 64 minutes in his side’s 4-1 win over Chennaiyin FC.

NorthEast United FC 2-1 Bengaluru FC

Kerala Blasters 2-2 ATK Mohun Bagan 

Hyderabad FC 3-2 FC Goa

Chennaiyin FC 1-4 Jamshedpur FC

Bengaluru FC 2-1 Odisha FC