ISL Matchweek 9: Winning is easy and defending is just a suggestion

Football teams sometime forget to show up or decide to take a nap midway through a game.

And matchweek 9 of the Indian Super League delivered five such encounters where the drama didn’t disappoint—mostly because the opponents didn’t really show much resistance.

From masterclasses on “how to win with 10 men” to Sunil Chhetri proving he’s not just a player, but a walking highlight reel, this week in the ISL was one for the history books.

If you’re a fan of watching teams casually stroll to victory while the other side frantically searches for dignity, then this round of matches was just for you.

Let’s dive into the masterpieces that were as thrilling as watching paint dry—if you were in the winning team.

NorthEast United beat Punjab—Red card? No problem!

In a masterclass on "how to win with 10 men," NorthEast United FC stormed into Punjab FC’s fortress and casually walked away with three points.

A 15th-minute goal by Guillermo Fernández and a 3-minute follow-up from Néstor Albiach had Punjab FC looking like they were playing hide-and-seek with their defense.

Then came the drama: Dinesh Singh got his second yellow right before halftime as if he wanted an early shower.

Did that slow the Highlanders down? Nope.

Instead, they played the second half like they were on a sightseeing tour, comfortably thwarting Punjab FC’s late, half-hearted consolation strike.

The moral of the story: Start strong, finish strategic, and who needs 11 players anyway?

Mohun Bagan 3-0 Jamshedpur: Easy win

Mohun Bagan Super Giant just strolled into the top spot with a 3-0 thrashing of Jamshedpur FC, proving once again that they don’t need to break a sweat to win.

Tom Aldred’s early goal? A casual tap-in.

Liston Colaco’s strike before halftime? Just a bit of magic while Jamshedpur’s defenders were busy looking for their shoes.

And Jamie Maclaren? Well, he just had to walk it in after Manvir Singh made it all too easy.

Jamshedpur tried, but not really hard enough, as Vishal Kaith casually blocked their last-minute effort like he was swatting away a fly.

Kerala Blasters' second half: Chennaiyin FC just watched the show

Kerala Blasters FC decided to hand Chennaiyin FC a masterclass on how to turn a 0-0 into a 3-0 in 45 minutes.

After a first half of "let's see if we can actually score," they came alive with goals from Jesus Jimenez, Noah Sadaoui, and Rahul KP.

Chennaiyin? Well, they were more like spectators, occasionally looking confused as to why the ball kept ending up in their net.

Blasters’ second-half performance was so smooth, it was like watching a team on a training session—except the other side forgot to show up.

Odisha FC decides to 'Go Big', Hyderabad FC left wondering what hit them

Odisha FC decided to break their winless run in style, handing Hyderabad FC a 6-0 thrashing that had fans wondering if the hosts had shown up at all.

Isak Vanlalruatfela opened the floodgates in the 12th minute, and it was all downhill from there for Hyderabad.

Despite a few fleeting moments of hope (hello, Roy Krishna’s post-hit), Hyderabad’s defense crumbled under relentless pressure.

Diego Mauricio, Mourtada Fall, Lalthathanga Khawlhring, and Rahim Ali added to the chaos, with Odisha scoring at will.

By the time Rahim Ali slotted in the final goal in the 89th minute, Hyderabad were officially outclassed.

A complete team performance by Odisha, and Hyderabad was left wondering what went wrong.

Punjab FC teach Mumbai City how to lose 3-0 without even trying

Punjab FC decided to make Mumbai City’s night as easy as possible with a 3-0 demolition that had the reigning champions looking like an outfit that had forgotten how to play the game.

Pulga Vidal’s goal just before halftime? A gift, after stealing the ball like akin to stealing a candy from a kid on a Sunday stroll.

Luka Majcen casually converted a penalty, while Mumbai—despite controlling possession—still couldn’t find the back of the net.

And just when you thought it couldn’t get worse for the Islanders, Bakenga waltzed in for a third.

Punjab’s defense, led by Abhishek Singh, must’ve been in the mood for a nap, as Mumbai's attacks were as useful as a soggy napkin.

Chhetri saves Bengaluru FC again, because why not?

Bengaluru FC, clearly allergic to doing things the easy way, needed Sunil Chhetri to come off the bench and save them from the jaws of defeat against Mohammedan SC.

After an early goal from Cesar Manzoki, it looked like Bengaluru were headed for an embarrassing night—until Chhetri, ever the drama queen, scored a penalty and then decided to head in a winner at the last possible second.

Not to be outdone, he also made history by scoring against all 15 ISL teams, because, of course, he’s just capable of that as well.

Another day, another late Chhetri cameo to remind everyone who’s in charge.

And there you have it, folks—another week of ISL action that reminds us that it’s not always about who’s the best, but who can make it look like they’re playing in a different league.

From teams forgetting how to defend to Chhetri pulling off his usual last-minute heroics, we’ve learnt that winning is easy when the other team forgets to show up.

Here’s to hoping the next week will give us a little more drama and a little less ‘casual stroll to victory’!