Ranking top 5 ISL opening day fixtures of all time
The ISL's 2021-22 season is around the corner and fans cannot wait for the glitzy league to start. Established in 2014, ISL has seen exponential growth over the years.
Initially, the tournament consisted of 8 teams and ran over a course of two months. Ahead of the 2017-18 season, Jamshedpur FC and Bengaluru FC joined the ISL, taking the number of teams to 10. Last season, SC East Bengal also made its debut in the league.
Around the world, opening matches of every league attract a lot of attention since it sets the tone for the rest of the season. The opening match of ISL has been played between the same two teams, ATK Mohun Bagan (previously ATK) and Kerala Blasters, since the former defeated the Blasters in the ISL final in 2016.
On that note, we rank in the top 5 ISL opening day fixtures of all time.
#5 Kerala Blasters 0-1 ATK Mohun Bagan
The 2020-21 season's ISL opening game was special for one big reason. The entire tournament was being played in a bio-bubble due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Fans waited patiently for the season to kick off and the Mariners didn't disappoint their fans.
Roy Krishna provided the sole goal in a match largely dominated by ATK Mohun Bagan. The Mariners went on to reach the finals that season while the Blasters had a forgettable campaign.
#4 ATK 0-2 Kerala Blasters
FULL TIME: ATK 0-2 KBFC
Kerala Blasters register their first-ever win at the Salt Lake Stadium with two late goals. Perfect start for David James and Co. ATK were lackluster.
#ATKKER https://t.co/tKzQ5Yh0PU
Kerala Blasters were the victorious side when they faced the now defunct ATK in the 2018-19 season. They were the better team by a mile, registering 24 shots as compared to ATK's 9. The match was goalless till the 75th minute, but the Blasters scored two quick goals in the last fifteen minutes. Matej Poplatnik and Slavisa Stojanovic provided the goods for the Men in Yellow as the team collected three easy points.
#3 ATK 3-0 Mumbai City FC
The first-ever ISL match was played on October 12th, 2014 at the Salt Lake Stadium in Kolkata. The home team kicked off proceedings in style, beating Peter Reid's Mumbai City FC comfortably in front of a huge audience.
Fikru created history when he scored the first goal in ISL history in the 27th minute. Goals from Borja Fernandez and Arnal Lilbert in the second half gave ATK their first win of the season.
#2 Chennaiyin FC 2-3 ATK
The opening match of ISL 2015 is the highest-scoring one till now. A total of 5 goals were scored in a match where ATK went home with all three points.
Helder Postiga scored an early goal to give ATK the lead. However, Jeje Lalpekhlua equalized for Chennaiyin FC as both sides were on level terms at half-time. In the second-half, quick goals from Helder Postiga and Valdo sealed the match for ATK. Elano scored from the spot to make it 2-3 for Chennaiyin FC, but it came too late to spur any change in the result.
#1 Kerala Blasters 2-1 ATK
A thrilling start to the 2019-20 #HeroISL season sees @KeralaBlasters claim a 2-1 win over @ATKFC in Kochi!
#ISLRecap #KERKOL #LetsFootball #TrueLove https://t.co/hLMdVc3VKL
The opening match of ISL 2019-20 takes the top rank because of Kerala Blasters' comeback in front of their fans. Carl McHugh scored in the 6th minute of the game to put ATK ahead early into the match. The Blasters received a penalty in the 30th minute of the game and Bartholomew Ogbeche, who was playing his first match for the club, scored the equalizer.
The JLN Stadium in Kochi was a sea of yellow and the excitement was palpable. Just before half-time, Ogbeche scored again to give the Blasters the lead. The score remained the same at full-time as the home side started the season with a win.