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As the league stages of the biggest ever season of the ISL came to an end, we saw two new sides make their first-ever appearance in the top 4 - FC Pune City and Bengaluru FC, while Chennaiyin FC and FC Goa joined ATK as the sides that have made it to the most number of semi-finals - thrice in 4 seasons. But who were the players that impressed us in the seven matches that took place in Round 18? Let's take a look.
GK: Soram Poirei (ATK)
Soram Poirei, the former Delhi Dynamos keeper had a huge task in hand when ATK hosted NorthEast United. The losers of this fixture would end up at the bottom of the table, something Poirei had to prevent from happening when he started under the bar.
He produced a masterclass display with a few brilliant saves. He was alert to the danger, punching the ball away twice as well. With this, he also managed to keep his first clean sheet of the season, something which he failed to do in the previous 4 games.
CB: Rahul Bheke (Bengaluru FC)
The Mumbai boy has enjoyed a stellar campaign this season with the Blues, with the club offering him a contract extension till 2021. He was at his best against the Blasters, as he kept the dangerous Baldvinsson at bay, managing to put his body on the line with 5 tackles.
His no-nonsense attitude helped him notch up 4 clearances as well. With Bengaluru FC conceding the least number of goals this season, Bheke should be proud of the role he had in achieving that record for the Blues.
CB: Sergio Juste (FC Goa)
One side that found it extremely tough to keep clean sheets was FC Goa, with the Goans failing to keep a clean sheet till their sixteenth game of the season. But since then, they have kept two clean sheets, and one man who has put in his 110% has been the former Barcelona 'B' player Sergio Juste. Not only has he been rock solid at the back, but also helped his team take the lead in a vital game against ATK.
CB: Dhanachandra Singh (Chennaiyin FC)
Dhanachandra Singh has found game time hard to come by this season, with the Manipuri lad starting for only the third time this season against Mumbai City FC. He made full use of the opportunity presented to him by John Gregory, when he made 8 changes to the side that started against Kerala Blasters FC, managing 6 clearances against a rampant Mumbai City FC attack. He also helped his side build-out from the back, managing a passing accuracy of 81%.
RM: Seriton Fernandes (FC Goa)
The young Goan was given different roles in the two games he played this week. He was more on the defensive side when he played against ATK, managing 5 tackles and 3 clearances. He also read the game well, registering 2 interceptions. While against Jamshedpur, he was given the license to move forward, and managed to create 2 chances and also chipped in with an assist. To his credit, he was flawless in both the roles given to him and proved why he was rated so highly by coach Sergio Lobera towards the start of the season.
LM: Nandhakumar Sekar (Delhi Dynamos FC)
Nandhakumar Sekar made a name for himself with Chennai City FC last season scoring 2 goals in 6 appearances and continued his growth this season when he signed for the Delhi Dynamos for the ISL. Delhi Dynamos proved to be giant-killers this season, and Nandhakumar had a huge role to play in that. Against Mumbai this week, he chipped in with a goal and also created 2 chances, while against FC Pune City, he had an assist and also created three chances.
CM: Udanta Singh (Bengaluru FC)
When we talk about the best U-23 players that have sparkled this season in the ISL, one name that definitely makes the list is the 21-year-old Tata Football Academy product, Udanta Singh. However, despite registering 4 assists to his name this season, he didn't have a goal to his name. He managed exactly that when he came on against Kerala Blasters to score BFC's second goal of the game.
CM: Manuel Lanzarote (FC Goa)
FC Goa came into the last round knowing that they still needed 4 points to qualify and the onus was on the threatening duo of Coro & Lanzarote to guide their team to the semi-finals. And cometh the hour, cometh the man, as he went on to contribute to 4 goals (3 goals & 1 assist) to take Lobera's side through to the semi-finals. He set up once and, scored a goal himself against Jamshedpur while he scored twice against ATK that ensured Goa guaranteed themselves a place in the knockouts.
AM: Robbie Keane (ATK)
The former Republic of Ireland International had a tough time dealing with injuries this season but made a positive impact in the 9 matches he played this season. Last week, despite the thrashing ATK, received from Goa, he managed to get on the score-sheet. After Ashley Westwood's departure, Robbie Keane stepped up as a caretaker coach-player and scored the decisive goal against NorthEast United that gave ATK their first win after a barren run of 8 games.
FW: Ferran Corominas (FC Goa)
The Spanish striker has grown leaps and bounds as the season has progressed. After going through a rough patch midway through the season, he turned it around against FC Pune City and hasn't looked back since. After scoring a terrific free-kick against ATK, he scored twice against Jamshedpur FC to take Goa to the playoffs.
FW: Kalu Uche (Delhi Dynamos FC)
The former La Liga striker started the season slowly, scoring just twice in his first 7 games, but he redeemed himself in the second half of the season, scoring in 8 consecutive games and thus creating an ISL record. Last week, despite starting from the sub's bench, he came on and scored against Mumbai City FC & went on to add two against FC Pune City. His tally of 13 goals this season now stands as the highest tally of goals managed by a player that didn't make it to the playoffs.
