Chennaiyin FC stand in the way as Bengaluru FC, the model club of Indian football, seek a triumphant conclusion to what has been a remarkable maiden campaign in the Indian Super League, in Bengaluru on Saturday.
Ali starred for Delhi FC in the Durand Cup and in the I-League Qualifiers in 2021 where he finished as the top scorer for his side that paved his ISL entry with FC Goa, where he spent 15 months.
Veteran striker Sunil Chhetri will be spearheading the Indian challenge and besides his longtime teammate Sandeep Jhingan, he will also be able to avail the services of Chinglensana Singh and Lalchungnunga.
Ferran Corominas (14th, 38th) scored a brace while Federico Gallego (8th) and Bartholomew Ogbeche (53rd) found the net for the hosts.
Despite losing the top spot to Mumbai, ATK Mohun Bagan will still harbour hopes of salvaging their season with a second successive Hero ISL title.
Mumbai City FC manager Peter Reid is all praise for his star signing, Frenchman Nicholas Anelka.
Atletico de Kolkata were guilty of missing too many chances and were held to a goalless draw against FC Pune City in their concluding group encounter of Hero Indian Super League at Rabindra Sarobar Stadium, Kolkata, on Friday.
After the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Virat Kohli, Mahendra Singh Dhoni has become the latest cricketer to own a football team in the high-profile Indian Super League, investing in the Chennaiyin FC ahead of the event starting October 12.
Impressed with the standard of football in the ongoing Indian Super League, India captain Sunil Chhetri feels the newly-launched tournament is an ideal platform for youngsters to perform and open the gates for selection to the national team.
Bengaluru made just one change from their previous encounter as Deshorn Brown came in to replace Erik Paartalu while Mumbai coach Sergio Lobera named an unchanged XI from the 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters.
Materazzi guided Chennaiyin to the title in the second season as they dramatically came from behind to beat hosts FC Goa 3-2 in the final.
The All India Football Federation is exploring the possibility of selecting Persons of Indian Origin (PIOs) for the Indian football team.
The victory celebrations for Indian Super League (ISL) champions Chennaiyin FC turned sour as their marquee Brazilian Elano Blummer was arrested by the local police for allegedly assaulting FC Goa co-owner Dattaraj Salgaoncar.
Brandon Fernandes had a chance to put his side ahead in the game early on when he was set up by Jorge Ortiz on the left. The midfielder got the ball at the edge of the box and curled at the far post but only to see his attempt miss the top corner.
Delhi Dynamos maintained their unbeaten run at home despite playing the entire second half with 10 men, as they rallied twice to hold Atletico de Kolkata 2-2 in an enthralling Indian Super Lague football match in New Delhi on Sunday.
It was one-way traffic in the opening half with Hyderabad all over Odisha. Their dominance saw them head into the break with a one-goal advantage after creating numerous chances.
Valskis scored in the 30th and 66th minute while Roy Krishna pulled one back for ATKMB in the 80th minute.
With consecutive wins, Kerala now have 14 points from 12 matches.
News of all that's transpired on and off the football field
Atletico de Kolkata produced a gritty performance as they scored twice in the second half to notch up a 2-1 win over hosts NorthEast United in an entertaining Hero Indian Super League match at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium in Guwahati on Friday.
FC Goa missed the chance to enter the second leg of their Indian Super League (ISL) semi-finals with an advantage as they squandered a lead twice in their 2-2 draw against Mumbai City FC
Masih Saighani fired Chennaiyin into the lead in the 17th minute before two goals in either half by Martin Chaves (43rd, 71st) seemed to have handed all three points to NorthEast United. However, a late equaliser from Lallianzuala Chhangte (90+3rd) ensured the away side took a point from the match.
Indian football's traditional clubs Mohun Bagan and East Bengal on Saturday joined hands to declare an unofficial war against Indian Super League (ISL), threatening to disrupt the cash-rich event if their three-point demand is not met with.
Teen sensation R Praggnanandhaa will enter as the favourite among the three Indian participants in the Candidates chess tournament that will get underway in Toronto from Wednesday to decide the challenger for the next world championship match.
FC Goa have made their life difficult for themselves after being held to a goalless draw by Mumbai City FC in a crucial round-robin fixture of the Indian Super League football tournament, in Margao on Wednesday.
ATK Mohun Bagan entered the semifinals of the Indian Super League with a win over Hyderabad FC in Kolkata on Saturday.
FC Goa returned to winning ways and rose atop the Hero Indian Super League table after 4-2 rout over Mumbai City FC, in Mumbai, on Thursday.
Both Anand and Sethuraman inched themselves up to five points out of a possible seven and shared the joint eighth spot after a rather dull day that witnessed several draws on the top tables.
In its bid to restructure the country's football, the All India Football Federation (AIFF) has formed a task force and one of the decisions taken is to hold the popular Indian Super League (ISL) over a longer period, according to its General Secretary Kushal Das.
The legends descended at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Tuesday night for the Indian Super League match between Chennaiyin FC and Kerala Blasters.
Coach Manuel Marquez seemed to have prepared well for the Mumbai test. The Nizams pinned their opponents with their high pressing approach, thus nullifying Mumbai's danger.
Defending champions Chennaiyin FC broke their Guwahati jinks with a hard-fought 1-0 victory over NorthEast United FC in an absorbing Hero Indian Super League clash at Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium, in Guwahati, on Thursday.
The win took the Highlanders to the second spot with eight points as they remained unbeaten from four matches.
Chennaiyin FC bounced back from a losing start in Indian Super League season 4 as they beat North East United FC 3-0 at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai on Thursday.
FC Goa clinched their first win of the ongoing Indian Super League season as they beat Kerala Blasters 3-1 at the Fatorda Stadium, in Margao, on Sunday.
After watching his first football match at an Indian stadium, Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor said the atmosphere during the lung opener of the ISL in Kolkata matched any top international games.
The Super Cup will get underway from April 3, where Kerala Blasters has been grouped together with Bengaluru FC.
Former England goalkeeper and Kerala Blasters captain-cum-manager David James came out in defence of the team's marquee players' performance in the ongoing Hero Indian Super League, saying that they have not come to India for 'retirement holiday'.
Former Chelsea and Ivory Coast striker Didier Drogba was offered a whopping $1 million by Atletico de Kolkata's co-owners to become the marquee player of the Indian Super League side though the high-profile player is yet to respond, according to a report in London.
The glittering trophy, which will be awarded to the winner of the Indian Super League, was unveiled by chairperson of IMG-Reliance, Nita Ambani, in the presence of icon players Alessandro Del Piero and Fredrik Ljungberg among others.
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