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The Hero Indian Super League group stage came to an end, as the first four teams were qualified for the play-off round. Bengaluru FC secured the first place in the table with 40 points from 18 games followed by Chennaiyin FC, FC Pune City, and FC Goa.
It has been a roller coaster ride for many teams as well as players; Bengaluru FC and Jamshedpur FC made many eye-catching performances in their first season of ISL. The competition of ten teams consists of many new and old foreign players who made us feel about their presence in the field.
Let us look at some new foreign players who made a mesmerizing performance in this competition.
#6 Robbie Keane
The 37-year-old, ex-Tottenham Hotspur, and Irish player made 9 appearances for ATK and scored 6 goals for them; ATK is the first Indian club that Robbie Keane has played for.
He made his first-team debut against Chennaiyin FC in ISL, and his presence in the field always gave the fans some hope.
Defending champions ATK did not have a pleasant journey in this edition of the ISL and ended in the ninth position of the table with 16 points from 18 games. In spite of a rough season, Robbie Keane won the hearts of the supporters with his mesmerizing performances.
#5 Paulinho Dias
Paulinho Dias had played for Chapecoense and Atletico Paranaense in Brazil, therefore, the experience worked behind his performance in this edition of ISL. The defensive midfielder from Brazil made 28 interceptions and made 1 goal and 1 assist in 15 games.
Delhi Dynamos ended their run by finishing eighth in the points table with 19 points from 18 games; the two-time semi-finalists did not have a satisfying end but some players still proved themselves in the competition.
#4 Everton Santos
The 31-year-old Brazilian midfielder had played in Brazil and South Korea for most of the time in his career; Everton signed for Mumbai City FC in this edition of ISL and scored 6 goals as well as made 5 assists in 18 matches. He added an extra energy in the midfield of Mumbai City FC.
Mumbai City FC is in the seventh place of the table with 23 points from 18 games. It has been a roller coaster ride for the team and they lost their last two games against Delhi Dynamos FC and Chennaiyin FC in the competition.
#3 Manuel Lanzarote
The Spanish midfielder started his youth career with Barcelona and then his senior career with Barcelona C as well as Barcelona B team. He spent his professional career in Spain and his last club was Real Zaragoza, where he scored 11 goals in 52 appearances.
Manuel Lanzarote has had an impressive run with FC Goa where he scored 12 goals and created 5 assists till now in the competition; He won the hearts of the FC Goa fans as they qualified for the playoffs by finishing third in the points table with 30 points from 18 games. The football fans must be expecting to see more from him in the upcoming matches.
#2 Miku
The 32-year-old Venezuelan forward is the second highest goal scorer in the competition with 14 goals in 17 matches and, with a 35% goal conversion rate. Miku started his youth career with Valencia; he spent most of his career in Spain and had experience in Qatar League. Miku has 51 appearances for Venezuela national team and scored 11 goals.
Bengaluru FC was the first team to qualify for the playoffs in this edition of ISL and they topped the table of late, with 40 points from 18 games. It will be interesting to see more from him in the upcoming games and, he must be hungry to score more goals with Bengaluru FC.
#1 Ferran Corominas
The 35-year-old Spanish forward had played for Spanish clubs like Osasuna, Girona, and Mallorca. As a result, his experience started blooming in the ISL, where he scored 18 goals and made 5 assists, with a 41% goal conversion rate in 18 games. He has had many impressive performances with FC Goa and presently leading the race for the Golden Boot Award.
FC Goa has qualified for the semifinal after defeating Jamshedpur FC and they are currently sitting in the third place of the table with 30 points from 18 games.
