ISL 2022-23: 3 hits and flops from Matchday 7

The seventh matchday of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2022-23 season unraveled with a lot of twists and turns that not many expected.

A monumental collapse from East Bengal, an attacking masterclass from Mumbai City FC, and a slip-up for Hyderabad FC defined the round of fixtures.

On that note, let's take a look at three hits from matchday seven of the ISL 2022-23.

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#1 Mumbai City FC remain the only unbeaten side in the league

The Islanders have truly started showing their high-flying best under Des Buckingham this season.

In a display of relentless attacking football, coupled with composure on the ball, Mumbai City FC thumped Bengaluru FC 4-0 on Thursday, November 17.

Simon Grayson's side had no response as Mumbai controlled the midfield proceedings and pressed the Bengaluru forwards out of the park.

With Hyderabad FC suffering a loss against Kerala, Mumbai FC remain the only unbeaten side in the league this season.

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#2 Odisha FC great fight and character under Josep Gombau

Anyone in the stands during the game between East Bengal and Odisha FC would've said at half-time that Stephen Constantine's team had already secured the two points.

The Red and Gold Brigade were up by two goals and the Juggernauts looked like a disjointed outfit.

However, after the break, Josep Gombau's side came out inspired as substitute Pedro Martin bagged a quickfire brace within three minutes to equalize the scores.

The Kolkata Giants were still stunned as Odisha FC scored two more goals through Jerry Mawihmingthanga and Nandhakumar Sekar to ultimately win the game 4-2.

The mentality that the players showed, if bottled and utilized throughout the tournament, can give Odisha a clear edge.

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#3 Smart Kerala Blasters put an end to Hyderabad FC's unbeaten run

The Nizams were flying high coming into the clash against Kerala Blasters, with five wins on the trot. However, Ivan Vukomanovic and Co. displayed a counter-attacking masterclass to trump Hyderabad FC.

Although the Blasters had inferior possession numbers, they were swift in transition and quick to break down the opposition's build-up play.

Throughout the game, Hyderabad had just one shot on target, showing a gargantuan effort from the Kerala Blasters defenders.

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Not everything was hunky-dory though. So here are three flops from matchday seven of the ISL 2022-23.

#1 Bengaluru FC looking like an incoherent bunch

The Blues, under head coach Simon Grayson, have been struggling throughout the season. The last matchweek wasn't any different as Bengaluru FC were blown away by a fluid Mumbai City FC side.

Despite equally sharing possession with the Islanders, Bengaluru lacked any sort of cohesion in the opposition half.

Javi Hernandez was one of the poorest performers of the night, failing to create any substantial attack.

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#2 East Bengal's shambolic collapse in the second half

Sometimes football defies all logic. That was somewhat the case with East Bengal's game on Friday, November 18.

The Red and Gold Brigade were 2-0 up at half-time after some dominating bits of play. But in quite catastrophic fashion, Stephen Constantine's team conceded two goals within the first three minutes of the second half.

The floodgates opened and Odisha FC ultimately ended up winning the tie 2-4. The lack of character from the East Bengal players will be a real concern for Constantine.

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#3 ATK Mohun Bagan blunted by relentless FC Goa

If anyone was curious about the extent of ATK Mohun Bagan's attacking woes, the fact that they had zero effort on target should be resounding enough.

Juan Ferrando's men lacked control in the middle of the park as FC Goa were relentless with their middle press.

Hugo Boumous and Dimitri Petratos' movement, which has haunted many rivals, was expertly neutralized by the Goans.

The Mariners were brilliantly marshaled by Anwar Ali and Marc Valiente in the backline, while Edu Bedia broke down the plays in the middle of the park.