Ranking the top five performers from ISL 2022-23 Gameweek 17

The past week remained witness to top-notch individual brilliance.

Gameweek 17 of the Indian Super League (ISL 2022-23) delivered drama galore as the playoffs race saw more twists and turns. Goa rode on Iker Guarrotxena’s sensational first-half hat-trick to post their second big win in a row. Mumbai City put up a late show at the Furnace to continue their unbeaten streak this season. Sivasakthi Narayanan’s brace and Rohit Kumar’s third goal in three games gave Bengaluru FC the bragging rights over Southern rivals Chennaiyin. ATK Mohun Bagan banked on Dimitri Petratos to deliver the goods against Odisha, and Dimitrios Diamantakos’ quickfire brace helped Kerala Blasters defeat NorthEast United 2-0.

17 goals were scored in the action-packed week. Mumbai and Hyderabad have qualified for the playoffs, however, the Islanders have a seven-point lead at the top. Blasters sit in third, one point above ATK Mohun Bagan. Goa are now fifth with 26 points, and Bengaluru FC sneak into the playoff spots for the first time since October.

On that note, let's take a look at the top five performers from ISL 2022-23 Gameweek 17:

5. Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mumbai City)

Staring at their first defeat of the season against a dogged Jamshedpur FC, Mumbai City went hunting for an inspirational character. There has been no dearth of such stars for Mumbai, but the one that shone brightest at the JRD Tata Sports Complex was Lallianzuala Chhangte.

Chhangte notched up his ninth goal of the season to bring Mumbai level. Bipin Singh crossed low into the box and Chhangte was lurking to slide the ball toward the net. Chhangte also got the assist for Vikram Partap Singh’s late winner, drifting centrally into a pocket of space and feeding Vikram out wide.

4.  Dimitrios Diamantakos (Kerala Blasters)

Diamantakos’s brace brought him up to joint second in the goal-scorers list this season. The Greek centre-forward made the most out of NorthEast’s defensive frailty and some quality passing from the Blasters' players. He opened the scoring with a towering header and found the net again two minutes later after Adrian Luna slipped him in.

3. Dimitri Petratos (ATK Mohun Bagan)

Petratos delighted the home faithful with a clinical display in front of goal. He scored in each half, two goals from two shots.

Petratos scored the first on the turn and capped off a flowing move from the right to tap in the second. His link-up play was excellent and helped ATK Mohun Bagan bag full points in a crucial encounter.

2. Sivasakthi Narayanan (Bengaluru FC)

The 21-year-old from Karaikudi terrorized the Chennaiyin defence all evening with his movement and scored the first two goals in BFC’s 3-1 romp. Siva’s composure in front of goal is one of his gifted abilities, and he displayed that in both goals.

The opener came from a quick counter-attack off Chennaiyin’s corner, Roy Krishna lobbed a long ball forward for Siva to chase from the halfway line. Two good touches and a smart finish past the onrushing Samik Mitra gave BFC the lead. He robbed the ball off Jiteshwor Singh in the build-up to the second goal and found the net with a delightful chip.

1. Iker Guarrotxena (FC Goa)

The Spaniard rose to the top of the ISL 2022-23 goal-scoring charts with a blistering hat-trick against East Bengal at the Fatorda. The first goal came against the run of play, an easy finish down the middle. The second goal was a brave diving header from Noah’s cross. The hat-trick was sealed after East Bengal made a meal of clearing a corner, and Guarrotxena punished them with an acrobatic finish.