Player of the tournament Iain Hume was influential for his team throughout the Hero Indian Super League, but had to experience heartbreak in the final, as Kerala Blasters FC went down by a late goal in stoppage time scored by Atlético de Kolkata forward Mohammed Rafique. Hume was involved in some very enterprising moves for his team, and also came close to scoring from a free kick just outside the box, but was thwarted by some very inspired goalkeeping from Armenian gloveman Apoula Edel Bete.Hume will return home with more suitcases than he brought along to India though, as he picked up several awards all throughout the tournament. But he will have to be content with a runners up medal on the final day for his endeavours. “It was devastating, we had a couple of chances, and the keeper pulled off a couple of good saves. It’s a game that I think we could’ve won,” a visibly dejected Hume told indiansuperleague.com. “It was a quiet game, because I think the two teams didn’t want to lose.”Hume was obviously disconsolate about conceding the late goal as there was absolutely no time left to come back after that. “The worst part about it was that we didn’t have time to come back, you concede in the 93rd minute and you don’t have the time to have one last chance, and it’s just heart breaking because the guys have worked so hard over the last three months,” said the former Canadian international striker. “It’s disappointing to not go back to Kochi with the trophy and the medals around our necks.”The Blasters have enjoyed incomparable support from their fans throughout the tournament, and they were present in huge numbers to egg their team on at the final. Hume was suitably impressed. “It’s unbelievable, they’re great fans and they’re all around the country. It’s a great thing to come this far away from home and play in front of so many fans," said the Scotland-born player. “It did feel like a home game which makes it even more disappointing.” Hume beat some top performers in the ISL, such as Elano Blumer (Chennaiyin FC), Luis García (Atlético de Kolkata), André Santos (FC Goa) and Kostas Katsouranis (FC Pune City) to win player of the tournament award. “It’s an unbelievable experience,” said Hume on winning the accolade. “But I’d swap it for that trophy, because I only play as well as I do with ten guys beside me, and I wouldn’t get any accolades if it wasn’t for my teammates.”“We’ve been unbelievable all season, we’ve not been the most beautiful to watch but we’ve definitely caught the hearts of the fans around the country and especially the ones at home. We’re just devastated, it’s an unbelievable accolade to have but I’d change it for the main one,” Hume concluded.
