Indian Super League has arrived, ladies and gentlemen! With Priyanka Chopra gracing the opening ceremony with her panache and sizzling moves, a plethora of celebs including Amitabh Bachchan, Mukesh and Nita Ambani and Sachin Tendulkar made the opening ceremony of the ISL an event to be talked about.
This, however, wasn’t the star attraction. The limelight was on on the music that defined the ISL. Each of the teams was flanked by its local music, making the opening ceremony a truly spectacular one. From Chenda to Dhaki, from Puneri Dhol to Shivamani’s magic, it was a true musical extravaganza.
Kickstarting the action on field, Atletico de Kolkata locked horns with Mumbai FC, beating them 3-0. As Nabi and Garcia went head to head, the electricity in the atmosphere was palpable. Things got interesting when post a god tiff for the ball, Mumbai’s captain Nabi earned his first yellow card. After having missed their first chance at 6 minutes, Atletico would have been cursing their luck as the next 25 minutes proved fruitless. Just when the match was looking like a drag, Ethiopian striker Fikru Teferra opened the account for Atletico, scoring the first goal of the tourney at the 27th minute. At halftime, Kolkata were ahead, leading the scoreline 1-0.
They doubled their lead when the second goal was scored by Spanish midfielder Borja Fernandez, who scored in the 70th minute. It looked like it was game over for the Mumbai side, when Spanish striker Arnal nailed the final nail in the coffin, netting the third goal in the last minute. With that, it was wraps for Day 1, with Kolkata collecting three solid points.
The next tie is between Northeast United FC and Kerala Blasters FC on Monday.