Kerala hearts were broken by Atletico de Kolkata for the second time in three years, as Jose Molina mashalled his troops to lift the Indian Super League trophy in Kochi on Sunday.
The Blasters might think they had a bit of disadvantage coming into the final, as they had 24 hours less to prepare. Their playoff second leg against Delhi Dynamos went into extra-time, whic
The first 35 minutes were fast-paced and provided plenty of entertainment, w

Kerala Blasters FC defender Cedric Hengbart (R) vies for the ball with Atletico de Kolkata defender Henrique Fonseca Sereno (L) during the final Indian Super League (ISL) football match between Kerala Blasters FC and Atletico de Kolkata at the Jawahar Lal Nehru Stadium in Kochi on December 18, 2016. (SAJJAD HUSSAIN/AFP/Getty Images)
However, in t
The 30 minutes of extra-time were of similar nature to the second half, with neither side really taking the game by the scruff of the neck. Both ATK and Kerala were happy to settle for penalties. As 56,000 fans in the stadium held their breath, Antonio German stepped up to take the first kick. The first penalty in any shootout is always crucial, and German didn’t disappoint .
Iain Hume, ISL’S all time top scorer with 23 goals, stepped up to take ATK’S first kick. Hume stuttered and Stack guessed it right. Hume’s penalty was saved, and the crowd erupted in delight. The next two penalties from Belfort and Doutie both went in. And then came the turning point. Ndoye stepped up, only to fire over the crossbar. The pendulum had shifted, Borja made no mistake in scoring his spotkick, and that left Kerala’s skipper Cedric Hengbart with a pressure penalty. Henbart