Division 2
Al-Fateh have been the most consistent performers in the division and are rightfully at the top of the table but with two game against Diablos and Athlos still to come, they need all the firepower they can get to be crowned champions. Nihal Colaco and Zaib Sherief have been on another plane with their performances in attack while Chelston Pinto has been reliable in defence. FC Bengal have been the surprise team of the season and are in prime position (two points off the leaders) to take advanvantage of any slip-ups from Al-Fateh. Top goalscorer Saheed Adeoye has been unstoppable while Arjun Sehgal and Askia Taofeek have been commendable in providing support for their star striker.
Athlos United find themselves in the top three with 2 games to go but need to finish the in top two to guarantee a promotion spot since the third placed team will still have to win the playoff. Mohammed Arshaque has been a revelation in defence while Sabarish Kannan and Aravind Suresh have been strong in midfield. Diablos FC, who fell short of gaining promotion last season look like they will miss out yet again unless they come up with some inspired performances in their last two games. Siddharth TC has been excellent in defence while Rahul Bajaj and Raihaan Ponnappa have had put in solid shifts. Titans FC have fallen from the league leading heights early on in the season but still have an outside chance at the title. A promotion spot though, does not look out of their reach at this point. Anirudh KD has been excellent in midfield for them while Rakesh Reddy has been a consistent performer at the back.
FCB Sparta pulled out the surprise result of the season when they beat Al-Fateh to open up the title race. They have a deep squad and a chance to finish the season on a high even if they miss out on one of the promotion spots. Benjamin George and Lalit Braganza have connected well in attack while goalkeeper Binu NP and defender Sushanth Gopalakrishna have also contributed to the team’s strong standing. FC Brunton find themselves once again in the middle of the pack and are missing an element or two to make the jump into the upper echelons of the division. Mohit Ahuja has been outstanding in attack and has bailed out his team more than once while Gautam Rego and Irthu Suresh have played good supporting roles. Joras have picked up back-to-back wins to help rise out of the bottom three and have an opportunity to finish in the upper half of the table. Captain Achyuta Dhanvantri has led from the front while some good mid-season additions in Muffazal Merchant and Amoghsvarsha B has led to the turn around.
Grasshoppers FC have been on a steady decline after an impressive first couple of games and cannot seem to find any cohesion in their on-field tactics. Ryesh Venkatraman has been a good addition to the squad while goalkeeper Aakash Nasarpuri has made some outstanding saves throughout the season. Manik Tao has created more goal scoring chances from out-of-play throws than the whole division combined, but they have lacked the finesse up front to convert those into goals. FC Kudlu have also faltered after a promising start but that can be attributed to the fact that they lost both their strikers, Akinwumi Jarule and Nikutten Neroth, halfway through the season. Prayag Pavithran and Uba Knayzo have developed a good understanding at the back too.
FC Lawless have only picked up one win so far but considering this is their first season, we can expect a massive rebuild of the team in the off-season. Nakul Ganapathy has been good in midfield while winger Bilal Khan has caused problems to defences albeit having little help in attack. Netbusters FC are the only team yet to pick up a win across both divisions and their Emerging Team award in Season 2 seems to be a distant memory. A lack of discipline has cost them greatly this season, which they will be looking to rectify in Season 4. Puneeth Gowda has shown flashes of talent while Swaraj Ghosh has kept his side from conceding even more goals with some brilliant saves.
Division 2 Standings (After Gameweek 9)
Pos. | Name | GP | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | PTS |
1 | Al-Fateh | 9 | 7 | 1 | 1 | 44 | 7 | 37 | 22 |
2 | FC Bengal | 9 | 6 | 2 | 1 | 22 | 9 | 13 | 20 |
3 | Athlos United | 9 | 5 | 3 | 1 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 18 |
4 | Diablos FC | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 18 | 8 | 10 | 17 |
5 | Titans FC | 9 | 5 | 2 | 2 | 11 | 6 | 5 | 17 |
6 | FCB Sparta | 9 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 15 | 12 | 3 | 14 |
7 | FC Brunton | 9 | 4 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 23 | -12 | 12 |
8 | Joras | 9 | 3 | 2 | 4 | 16 | 23 | -7 | 11 |
9 | Grasshoppers FC | 9 | 2 | 1 | 6 | 8 | 20 | -12 | 7 |
10 | FC Kudlu | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 8 | 19 | -11 | 5 |
11 | FC Lawless | 9 | 1 | 2 | 6 | 9 | 25 | -16 | 5 |
12 | Netbusters FC | 9 | 0 | 3 | 6 | 6 | 21 | -15 | 3 |
