Iain Hume struck his second hat-trick of the season as defending champions Atletico de Kolkata today became the first team to seal a semifinal berth following their 4-1 rout of FC Pune City in the Indian Super League football tournament at the Vivekananda Yuva Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Friday.
Among other transfer news globally, defender Rahul Bheke joins Mumbai City FC while Locatelli completes Juventus move.
Football legend Pele tells defending Indian Super League champions Atletico de Kolkata to always respect the opponent.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
Juventus and Inter, who have 42 points each from 17 games, both play on Monday while Lazio, with 39 from 17, have an outstanding fixture at home to Verona to come in early February.
Atletico de Kolkata got their act right in the nick of time to humble crowd favourites FC Goa 4-2 in tie-breaker and advance to the final of the inaugural Indian Super League. Kolkata will lock horns with Kerala Blasters FC in the summit showdown at the D Y Patil Stadium in Mumbai on Saturday.
NorthEast United pumped in three first half goals in a rampaging show to drub table toppers Chennaiyin FC 3-0 in an absorbing Hero Indian Super League match to keep their hopes of a semi-final berth alive in Guwahati.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Sunday
SCEB failed to make use of a numerical advantage to settle for a 1-1 draw against FC Goa
Barely a game into the Indian Super League and Mumbai City FC have been dealt a massive blow with skipper Syed Rahim Nabi ruled out for upto three weeks due to an ankle injury sustained during the team's opening match against Atletico de Kolkata.
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Friday
Four Indian Paralympics medal winners at the Rio Games last month -- Devendra Jhajharia, Mariyappan Thangavelu, Deepa Malik and Varun Singh Bhati -- were on Monday felicitated by a host of personalities, including cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar.
New Zealand football coach Fritz Schmid, on Tuesday, dubbed India lying somewhere between 'a sleeping giant and a rising competitor'.
Former Newcastle United striker Michael Chopra is ready to surrender his British passport to represent the country of his origin, India, and realise his dream of playing senior-level international soccer.
NorthEast United inched closer to a playoffs berth with a 2-1 win over 10-man SC East Bengal in the ISL
Eugenson Lyngdoh had found the net in the 32nd minute for the hosts but Rafael Coelho Luiz (34) and Jonatan Lucca (44) brought FC Goa back into the game. Mutu (90+4') scored the late equaliser to salvage a point for Pune City.
After constant pressure, Bengaluru were finally rewarded with the equaliser in the 82nd minute when Paartalu nodded in Cleiton's in-swinging corner.
Atletico de Kolkata, reduced to ten men from the 43d minute, reached the final of the Indian Super League on goal aggregate after playing out a hard-tackling, goalless draw with Mumbai City FC in the second leg semi-final.
The All India Football Federation believes that the FIFA U-17 World Cup, beginning October 6, can be a catalyst for the sport.
All the action that transpired on and off the football field
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field.
Ambani's holding group launched the Indian Super League, an elite competition of newly created teams, in 2014 with the aim of attracting investment and big global names, much like the Indian Premier League has in cricket. 'It was 100% a wasted opportunity'.
Football legend Pele described the FIFA corruption scandal as a "shame", but made it clear that the reputation of the game was not tarnished.
Minerva Punjab FC will take on Indian Super League side Jamshedpur FC on April 2 in the inaugural Super Cup football tournament which begins in Bhubaneswar on March 31.
But how much has the national team actually improved?
Five years after the Indian Super League was established, so has its effective preeminence in Indian football.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field on Saturday
The 'sleeping giant' woke up to a new dawn with the Indian Super League putting Indian football on the global map, but the national team continued to paint a grim picture, plummeting to its worst-ever rankings in an eventful year for the sport.
A summary of sports events and persons who made news on Sunday
A summary of sports events and sports persons, who made news on Wednesday
