Chennaiyin coach Gregory showers praise on defenders
Henrique Sereno, Mailson Alves, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Inigo Martinez denied FC Goa in the semifinal second leg.
Henrique Sereno, Mailson Alves, Jerry Lalrinzuala and Inigo Martinez denied FC Goa in the semifinal second leg.
Having clinched the prestigious Federation Cup and I-League twice, Bengaluru FC will attempt to crown themselves with the ISL trophy before their home fans at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium.
Jeje Lalpheklua, who struck twice, was the star of the match as he scored in the 26th and 90th minutes to guide CFC into its second ISL final.
The 2015 champions head into the second leg semifinal with the advantage of having scored an away goal in the first leg, which ended 1-1.
Bengaluru will lock horns with the winner of the second semifinal between Chennaiyin and Goa.
The FC Pune City head coach was suspended by the AIFF's disciplinary committee for his comments against referees and match officials.
Even though Goa dominated the game, Chennai will be the happier side as they have their away goal to take home.
Pune will be hoping to score at least once and make the most of the away goal rule in the second leg of the semifinals.
The Goans have scored seven goals more than league stage table toppers Bengaluru FC.
Earlier, Popovic was suspended for four matches and fined Rs 5 lakh for his remarks made against match officials at the post-match press conference in Goa after the match between FC Goa and Pune.
ISL debutants Bengaluru FC, who topped the league stage, FC Goa, Chennaiyin FC and FC Pune City are the four teams contesting the two-legged semifinals.
The highlight of the match was the free kick from Sunil Chhetri which was equally well saved by Vishal Kaith.
The rule will come into effect at the end of normal playing time during the second leg.
In Indian skipper Sunil Chhetri and Venezuelan Miku, who are second and fifth in the goal-getters' list with 14 and 10 goals respectively, BFC have a potent strike force that would be hard to contain.
Meanwhile, NorthEast United’s Seiminlen Doungel has agreed to shift to Kerala Blasters for the next three seasons.
ATK captain Robbie Keane scored the lone goal in the 10th minute.
FC Goa will play Chennaiyin on March 10 in the first leg of the semifinal.
The deal comes at a time when Blasters striker Berbatov had launched a veiled attack on James in an Instagram post.
Without mentioning James, the Kerala Blasters striker ridiculed the tactics of the ' wannabe coach'. He also added that he was unlikely to take part in the Super Cup.
Mumbai's loss meant sixth placed Kerala Blasters will get a direct entry into the upcoming inaugural Indian Super Cup.
Delhi Dynamos finish their ISL campaign with a 6-match unbeaten run while Pune City will look to pull up their socks and perform clinically in the playoffs.
With this loss, Blasters' direct qualification hopes for the inaugural Indian Super Cup have become dull.
Goa's win also meant Kerala Blasters were eliminated from the semifinal race.
FC Goa thrashed defending champions ATK 5-1 to keep their semifinal hopes alive.
Mumbai's loss also means Chennaiyin FC have now become the third team to qualify for the semifinals with 29 points.
Pune City will finish in the top four, regardless of other results, and the achievement of breaking into the top four for the first time since the ISL was launched in 2014 was hailed by the club's chief coach Popovic.
The result also kept alive Kerala Blasters' hopes of qualifying for the semifinals. The Kochi-based franchise has 25 points from 17 games.
The resounding victory, which was also Goa's first clean sheet this season, lifted them to the sixth spot with 24 points under their belt while Pune remained one rung behind table toppers Bengaluru FC.
ATK have not won a single game since the departure of Teddy Sheringham and Westwood saw his team losing five of the last six matches.
The fans had rushed towards the car of Blasters co-owner and cricket legend Sachin Tendulkar when the Master Blaster arrived at the VIP entrance ahead of Friday's ISL game.
Sachin Tendulkar, Abhishek Bachchan, Malayalam film actor Jayasurya, and Internet sensation Priya Prakash Varrier witnessed the ISL game between Kerala Blasters and Chennaiyin FC.
If Jamshedpur FC win either of their remaining games against Bengaluru FC or FC Goa, it will be the end of the road for Blasters.
With this win, Mumbai City keep their playoff hopes alive and move to the sixth spot just behind Kerala Blasters.
Blasters are known to raise their game at the crunch and the thousands who are expected to throng the Jawaharal Nehru Stadium will bank on that.
Even if Blasters register a win on Thursday, their qualification will depend on the result of the match between FC Goa and Jamshedpur FC.
Friday's clash could well be Blasters' final home game this season as the Yellow Brigade need to win both their remaining matches and wait for the result of other teams to qualify for the semifinals.
The draw took FC Goa to 21 points from 15 matches to remain on sixth place in the league table while Delhi Dynamos are now at ninth place with 12 points from 15 matches.
Malayala Manorama, the media partners of the Kerala Blasters team, gives fans the chance to catch the action inside the yellow cauldron that is the Kaloor stadium!
The defeat - their fifth at home this season - at the Salt Lake Stadium meant ATK are now winless in their last six games.
Chennaiyin stays in third spot in the standings with 28 points, two ahead of Jamshedpur.
Wes Brown registered his first goal for Kerala Blasters as he scored a bullet header from Jackichand Singh's corner kick.
With this match, Pune City finally end Bengaluru's five match winning run by securing a crucial draw away from home.
Blasters will have their task cut out when they take on laggards NorthEast United.
Chennaiyin defender Inigo Calderon scored the lone goal in the 52nd minute.
The win takes Delhi Dynamos to 11 points, same as NorthEast United. However, the goal difference keeps them cemented at the bottom of the league standings.
The draw left Chennaiyin one point behind Jamshedpur FC in fourth place while Dynmoas stayed last with only eight points from their 13 games.
The victory meant that Pune have secured 28 points from 14 matches and look set to book a place in the top four.
Steve Coppell's side will occupy the third spot with 25 points, the same as second-placed FC Pune City.
The hosts make it 5 wins in a row and continue their home dominance while Goa are still placed sixth at the table.
The draw took Kerala Blasters to fifth place with 21 points but with three games left for the Kochi-based outfit, the stalemate was a big blow to their playoff aspirations.