End of Hero ISL 2016

God’s Own Country to host India’s biggest football extravaganza

Football frenzy, enthusiastic fans and the natural beauty of Kerala will all come together to set the perfect backdrop for the country’s biggest football extravaganza as Kochi gets ready to host the 2016 grand finale of Hero Indian Super League on Sunday, 18th December 2016.

The passion and fervour for football in Kerala has been unmatched in the country with fans supporting their home club Kerala Blasters FC with fanatical intensity. Kerala’s long tryst with football has led to the State producing renowned footballing stars for the country. Kerala has contributed immensely to the growth of football with a continuous supply of young talents representing the nation.

The 2016 session of Hero Indian Super League has reached close to 200 million television viewership (as of 26 Nov 2016). The season also has brought forth a large pool of young emerging Indian football talents to the fore, showcasing the technical as well as tactical ability to compete at the highest level.

Mrs. Nita Ambani, Founder & Chairperson, Football Sports Development Limited attributed the decision to award Kochi as the host for Hero ISL 2016 finals to “Kerala’s passion and love for the beautiful game.”

“Kerala has been the bedrock of Indian football. It is one of the few States in the country where interest in football is unparalleled. I have always been intrigued by the pride and passion of the football fans in Kerala.

“We felt that awarding the prestigious final of ISL 2016 to Kochi would be an apt ode to the State’s contribution to Indian football,” said Mrs Nita Ambani, who is also a member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

End of Hero ISL 2016

So this marks the end of another successful season of ISL with Atlético de Kolkata getting crowned for the second time in 3 years. The season started at Guwahati with NorthEast United FC hosting Kerala Blasters FC. All the 8 teams fought hard and battled out for a spot in the semis. Mumbai City FC ended the group stages on the top, followed by Kerala Blasters FC then by Delhi Dynamos FC and with Atlético de Kolkata grabbing up the last spot. This set up the semis between Mumbai and Kolkata and between Delhi and Kerala. Atlético de Kolkata and Kerala Blasters FC got the better of their opponents, setting up a repeat of ISL 2014 finals. It was neck-to-neck and the match got past 90 minutes for the first time in the finals, which led to the penalty shootout. Once again Atlético de Kolkata beat Kerala Blasters FC to the trophy and became the first team to win the ISL trophy twice. Hope you enjoyed our coverage because we know we enjoyed having you. We bid you goodbye with this and hope to see you again next season. Wish you folks out there a Merry X-Mas and a happy new year!!

Season Awards

Best Pitch Award is given to NorthEast United FC's Indira Gandhi Athletic Stadium. Chennaiyin FC earn the Fairplay Award for their good spirited performances throughout the season. Amul Fittest Player of the League is Borja Fernández. Swift Golden Boot Award is won by Marcelo Pereira as he scored 10 goals, becoming the highest scorer this season. Winning Pass of the League is won by Sameehg Doutie as he provided numerous wonderful assists throughout this season to his teammates. Golden Glove Award is rightfully and deservedly Amrinder Singh's - He kept 5 clean sheets and conceded just 3 goals. ISL Emerging Player of the League is Jerry Lalrinzuala of Chennaiyin FC. And lastly, the Hero of the League is Florent Malouda - The Delhi Dynamos skipper was electric through the course of the season and was extremely vital to his team's success.

Match Awards

The Swift Moment of the Match award has been given to Debjit Majumder for his penalty save against Cedric Hengbart in the shootout. While the Amul Fittest Player of the Match is taken by Kervens Belfort for putting in a real shift today, the Winning Pass of the Match is presented to Duckens Nazon for his lovely diagonal pass to Belfort. Emerging Player of the Match is Lalrindika Ralte and last but not least, the Hero of the Match is Henrique Fonseca Sereno. Kolkata were unfortunate he got subbed off due to the head injury he sustained, but till the time he was out there, he was immense for his side.

Atlético de Kolkata are the CHAMPIONS once again!!

Atlético de Kolkata once again beats Kerala Blasters FC in the finals and gets crowned as the Hero ISL 2016 winners. Kerala Blasters FC got into the lead in the first half through Mohammed Rafi. However, Atlético de Kolkata replied soon at the brink of the first half when Henrique Fonseca Sereno headed home the equaliser. The second half was a rather dull as we didn't get to see any goals in it. 1-1 at the end of normal time saw us go into the extra time. In the extra time too, both the teams played defensively and didn't let any goals in. Making the match go into the penalties for the first time in ISL finals. Even after Iain Hume's first penalty got saved, Atlético de Kolkata held their nerves and won the title.