ISL 2022-23: Noah Sadaoui, Kyriakou shine bright in Gameweek 3

The week remained witness to many individual brilliancies.

The Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 is becoming more interesting with every passing day. In the past week, there were many noteworthy clashes and results. Hyderabad FC got the better of Bengaluru FC in a tightly-fought contest. FC Goa maintained their perfect start to the season by defeating Chennaiyin FC.

East Bengal also recorded their first win of the season while Odisha FC came back from a goal down to secure three points against last year’s runners-up Kerala Blasters. All of these games had great individual performances from players who made key contributions to their teams.

Here is a look back at the past week’s results and the top five performers from the game-week 3 of the ISL 2022-23.

5. Charis Kyriakou

Charis Kyriakou was vital for East Bengal in their 3-1 win against NorthEast United. The Cypriot was not only impressive in scoring the second of the three goals but he also performed well overall. He completed 30 of his 37 passes and had three blocks. What's even more fascinating is he is usually a right-back and can play as a centre-back as well. But against NEUFC, Stephen Constantine deployed his Cypriot general in a central midfield role.

Considering that this is the first season for Kyriakou in the ISL, the early signs are very positive. If East Bengal are to have a good season and possibly qualify for the playoffs, then the 33-year-old will need to be consistent for them. 

4. Noah Sadaoui

Noah Sadaoui finally got on the scoresheet for FC Goa in their 2-0 win over Chennaiyin FC. The forward had decent opportunities in the first game too, but took his chance against the Marina Machans in the dying minutes. 

Apart from scoring the goal on the counter in the end, Noah also created three chances and provided the assist for the first goal (by Redeem Tlang) as well. Two goal contributions suggest that the attacker will be a major asset for the Gaurs in the forthcoming matches.

3. Bartholomew Ogbeche

Bartholomew Ogbeche showed his class yet again during Hyderabad FC’s 1-0 win over Bengaluru FC. There was a clear strategy deployed by BFC boss Simon Grayson to deny him space to affect the game because of which the striker had to fall deep to make an impact.

He was wayward with his shooting initially, but kept his focus to pounce on a mistake by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu and headed the winner for the Nizams. His goal was the difference-maker on the night.

2. Jerry Mawihmingthanga

Jerry Mawihmingthanga was the pick of the Indian players during Odisha FC’s 2-1 win over Kerala Blasters. He scored the equaliser which enabled his team to make a comeback and secure three points. The winger also had the ball in the net early in the game but the referee disallowed it for a foul on KBFC keeper Prabhsukhan Gill.

Furthermore, Jerry had a good overall impact in the attacking department, taking three shots and creating three chances. On top of that, he had four blocks and two successful tackles as well. 

1. Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem

Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem was one of the best performers from game-week three of the ISL 2022-23. The custodian was sensational between the sticks for FC Goa and got a clean sheet for his efforts. 

He played for 61 minutes and in that time, the 22-year-old made six saves to keep the Gaurs in the lead. In addition, Dheeraj made four catches, three punches and two clearances. The fans of FCG will be hoping that his injury is not serious and does not keep him out of action for a long time.