5 Players who were the biggest disappointments in the semi-finals of ISL 2019-20

The stage is all set for yet another Indian Super League (ISL) final as ATK and Chennaiyin FC have booked spots for the big day at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on 14th March.

The semi-final clash between FC Goa and Chennaiyin FC ended in favour of the Marina Machans with a 5-6 aggregate scoreboard. Goa's desperate attempt to overcome the 4-1 deficit from Chennai ended a goal short at the final whistle on Saturday.

In Kolkata, things turned upside down in the final 30 minutes when David Williams scored twice to take the visitors by surprise. Deshorn Brown's goal in the first-leg for the current champions was undone by a 3-1 scoreboard, thanks to goals from the A-League duo, Williams and Roy Krishna.

While Goa will be moving on with the 'Table Toppers' title, Bengaluru FC will have a lot to think about in the off-season. Meanwhile, the two sides still fighting for the cup will be reviewing the semi-finals to tweak the flaws that existed in their games.

Here, we will look at five players who disappointed the most in the semi-finals of ISL 2019-20.

#5 Ferran Corominas (FC Goa)

Ferran Corominas, without doubt, is one of the best strikers in ISL and was rightly on his way to a third consecutive Golden Boot this season. With 14 goals, the Spaniard was leading his side from the front.

Coro ended the semi-finals with four shots, with only one being on target. The 37-year-old had a difficult time getting past his markers and was an isolated figure on the field for most of the time.

Goa faced a major blow when they were forced to start without Hugo Boumous and Brandon Fernandes in the first-leg. The midfield duo's absence meant Coro had very few balls from the centre of the park. Thus, in Chennai, the striker had no shot or chance created to his name, reflecting the team's poor display upfront.

In the reverse fixture though, both the players returned. Although, Boumous suffered another injury and was replaced in the 23rd minute. Coro had four shots and two chances, but not a single goal to take his team out of trouble on the day.

If the Spanish forward could add one to the four goals, the Gaurs might have had a different story to tell at the end of the campaign.

#4 Sumit Rathi (ATK)

Even after sealing a spot in the finals, Antonio Lopez Habas wouldn't be so satisfied with the performance at the back. Sumit Rathi, who was playing on the left side of the back-three, was Bengaluru's opening into the ATK defence in the semi-finals.

Rathi committed himself to a sliding tackle when Ashique Kuruniyan was moving forward with the ball from the back. The BFC winger successfully evaded the challenge and found the back of the net in the fifth minute of the game.

The same was on display numerous times in the first half, as Ashique made use of the space on the flank to enter into the box. Rathi had very little understanding with Michael Soosairaj to cover up the spaces left open during attacks.

Rathi never really posed a challenge for Ashique and was easily beaten by his pace. Deploying a young Rathi alone was a dangerous move from Habas, especially facing Chennaiyin FC's speedy wingers including Lallianzuala Chhangte.

Though the 18-year-old was a much-better performer in the first-leg, succumbing to pressure would be a cause of concern for the defender.

#3 Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru FC)

Another big name who disappointed in the big game is Bengaluru FC and Indian National Team skipper Sunil Chhetri. The striker failed to find the back of the net and had only two shots on target in both the legs.

With nine goals, Chhetri had been Bengaluru's leading and reliable goal-scoring option this season. Thus, naturally, all the eyes were on the talisman for the ATK clash. However, the 35-year-old had a tough time getting into scoring positions and creating chances for the side.

Chhetri, operating on the left flank, was expected to feed Deshorn Brown with crosses and through balls from the space left behind by ATK's wingbacks. But, the skipper lacked pace and momentum with the ball and was nowhere near his usual best.

In the first-leg too, Chhetri's involvement in the attacks was comparatively limited, which resulted in a below-par attacking display from Bengaluru. Even when the forward got into goal-scoring positions, he was kept away from the ball either by the ATK defenders or his own teammates' disappointing moves.

The semi-final result is a depiction of Bengaluru FC's over-reliance on Chhetri and the need to rope in a backup option for goals.

#2 Kevaughn Frater (Bengaluru FC)

Bengaluru FC signed Kevaughn Frater to replace Raphael Augusto to address their injury issues and chip in with goals. However, the Jamaican forward's arrival did not provide a solution to Bengaluru's issues - it only deepened them, courtesy his crucial miss in the second half of the second-leg.

In the 75th minute, Suresh Singh Wangjam fed Frater inside the box with only custodian Arindam Bhattacharya to beat. However, the 25-year-old placed his shot straight at the keeper, and BFC missed a golden chance to double their tally.

Four minutes from that, David Williams headed past Gurpreet Singh Sandhu to take the hosts into the lead on aggregate and eventually into the finals.

Combining both the games, Frater was on the field for a total of 75 minutes, 44 in the first-leg and 31 in the second-leg. But, he could not contribute anything worthy for Carles Cuadrat and never looked fit to take up goal-scoring duties on his own.

Frater's only shot on goal in the first-leg, a left-footed strike from outside the box, was also kept out by Bhattacharya's heroics between the sticks.

#1 Mohammed Nawaz (FC Goa)

Poor goalkeeping has haunted FC Goa from the 2015 ISL final to the 2019-20 ISL semi-finals. If Mohammad Nawaz had been an alert figure between the sticks in both of the semi-finals, FC Goa would have been playing the final before their home crowd on the 14th of March.

Nawaz conceded six goals in the two legs, four in Chennai and two in Goa. While the custodian made five saves in these games, those were not enough to redeem his mistakes.

Goa conceded their first goal in the semi-final when Nawaz came out for a cross into the box when he shouldn't have. The 20-year-old left his line but could not punch the ball before Lucian Goian directed it towards goal. The keeper's attempt to stop Anirudh Thapa's curling shot from outside the box was also a failure as Chennai scored their second for the night.

In the reverse leg, Nawaz saved Rafael Crivellaro's shot but directed it into Lallianzuala Chhangte's path. The Indian winger slotted home to open the scoring for the visitors.

If the custodian had not committed the mistakes for the opening goal in both the legs, the aggregate would have ended in favour of the Gaurs.

Edited by Zaid Khan