ISL 2023-24: Talking points from Gameweek 2

This ISL Gameweek saw a few marching orders, fantastic goals and much more!

The Indian Super League (ISL) is well and truly underway with its 10th edition. After an entertaining first week where all the clubs put up a strong show, the focus shifted to the second gameweek of the 2023-24 season.

The second week kickstarted with Mohun Bagan securing a hard-fought win over last year’s runners up Bengaluru FC followed by a four goal thriller in Bhubaneswar between Odisha FC and Mumbai City FC and so on.

Now that we are done with the second gameweek of the edition, let us take a look at what happened in the week gone by.

3. Bengaluru FC go down to nine men against Mohun Bagan 

The opening game of this week saw Bengaluru FC make a trip to Kolkata to face the defending champions. The Blues went into that game having lost their opening fixture to arch-rivals Kerala Blasters.

But, things only went south for the Blues as they were reduced to nine men after Mohun Bagan took the lead. Naorem Roshan Singh and Suresh Singh Wangjam were shown their marching orders by the referee for unlawful challenges in the second half. It hasn’t been an ideal start for Bengaluru FC as they now have more red cards than goals.

2. East Bengal fightback from behind to take all three points 

East Bengal played out a boring 0-0 draw against Jamshedpur FC in their opening game. The Red & Golds faced Hyderabad FC in their next game and conceded an early goal as Hitesh Sharma found the back of the net.

That’s when East Bengal’s main man Cleiton Silva decided to do it all by himself. The Brazilian scored an immediate equaliser in the first half and then went on to score a picture perfect free-kick late in the game and helped his side clinch all three points. It was certainly a comeback to remember from the Kolkata giants. First comeback win in the ISL for East Bengal? Maybe!

1. The resurgence of NorthEast United 

After a couple of disappointing seasons in the ISL, it seems like NorthEast United might have finally found their mojo. The Highlanders put up a strong fight in their opening game but lost by a narrow margin against Mumbai City FC.

Despite a defeat in their opener, the Highlanders bounced back in style and crushed Chennaiyin FC at home. Juan Pedro Benali’s side put up an exceptional performance and secured a 3-0 win bringing an end to their 9 month winless streak in the league. Moreover, Phalguni Singh, who lost his father on the day NEUFC played Mumbai, scored his first and ISL's 600th goal last Friday!