2017–18 Indian Super League playoffs
The 2017–18 Indian Super League playoffs was fourth playoffs series in the Indian Super League, one of the top Indian professional football leagues. The playoffs began on 7 March 2018 and concluded with the final on 17 March 2018 in Bangalore.
| Country | India |
|---|---|
| Teams | 4 |
| Champions | Chennaiyin |
| Runners-up | Bengaluru |
| Semi-finalists | |
| Matches played | 5 |
| Goals scored | 14 (2.8 per match) |
| Top goal scorer(s) | Sunil Chhetri (4 goals) |
← 2016 2018–19 → | |
The top four teams from the 2017–18 ISL regular season had qualified for the playoffs. The semi-finals took place over two legs while the final was a one-off match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium. Chennaiyin won the final after defeating Bengaluru 3–2. This would be the second time that Chennaiyin won the title.
The defending champions from last season, ATK, failed to qualify for the playoffs this season and thus were not able to defend their title.
Season table
| Pos | Team | Pld | W | D | L | GF | GA | GD | Pts | Qualification or relegation |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Bengaluru | 18 | 13 | 1 | 4 | 35 | 16 | +19 | 40 | Qualification for ISL play-offs |
| 2 | Chennaiyin[lower-alpha 1] (C) | 18 | 9 | 5 | 4 | 24 | 19 | +5 | 32 | |
| 3 | Goa | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 42 | 28 | +14 | 30 | |
| 4 | Pune City | 18 | 9 | 3 | 6 | 30 | 21 | +9 | 30 | |
| 5 | Jamshedpur | 18 | 7 | 5 | 6 | 16 | 18 | −2 | 26 | |
| 6 | Kerala Blasters | 18 | 6 | 7 | 5 | 20 | 22 | −2 | 25 | |
| 7 | Mumbai City | 18 | 7 | 2 | 9 | 25 | 29 | −4 | 23 | |
| 8 | Delhi Dynamos | 18 | 5 | 4 | 9 | 27 | 37 | −10 | 19 | |
| 9 | ATK | 18 | 4 | 4 | 10 | 16 | 30 | −14 | 16 | |
| 10 | NorthEast United | 18 | 3 | 2 | 13 | 12 | 27 | −15 | 11 |
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) head-to-head points; 3) head-to-head goal difference; 4) head-to-head goals scored; 5) goal difference; 5) number of goals scored; 6) fair play ranking; 6) drawing of lots
(C) Champions
Teams
Bengaluru, a new expansion side in the Indian Super League, were the first side to qualify for the playoffs on 9 February 2018.[1] The side managed to qualify after only 15 matches and having gained 33 points.[1] Pune City became the second side to qualify for the playoffs after Jamshedpur, another new expansion side, were defeated by Bengaluru on 26 February.[2] The victory for Bengaluru also ensured that they would finish the season at the top of the table.[2]
Chennaiyin, the 2015 ISL season champions, were the third side to confirm their qualification for the playoffs on 27 February. This was due to Mumbai City suffering defeat to Delhi Dynamos.[3] The last spot in the playoffs was not decided until the last match day of the regular season when Jamshedpur hosted Goa at the Kalinga Stadium. Both Jamshedpur and Goa were the only two sides eligible for that last spot. Goa would go on to win the match 3–0 and thus became the final team to qualify for the playoffs.[4]
Bracket
| Semi-finals | Final | ||||||||||
| 1 | Bengaluru | 0 | 3 | 3 | |||||||
| 4 | Pune City | 0 | 1 | 1 | |||||||
| 1 | Bengaluru | 2 | |||||||||
| 2 | Chennaiyin | 3 | |||||||||
| 2 | Chennaiyin | 1 | 3 | 4 | |||||||
| 3 | Goa | 1 | 0 | 1 | |||||||
Semi-finals
| Team 1 | Agg.Tooltip Aggregate score | Team 2 | 1st leg | 2nd leg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Pune City | 1–3 | Bengaluru | 0–0 | 1–3 |
| Goa | 1–4 | Chennaiyin | 1–1 | 0–3 |
Leg 2
Bengaluru won 3–1 on aggregate
| Chennaiyin | 3–0 | Goa |
|---|---|---|
Lalpekhlua  26', 90'Ganesh 29' |
Report |
Chennaiyin won 4–1 on aggregate
Goalscorers
- 4 goals
Sunil Chhetri (Bengaluru)
- 2 goals
- Jeje Lalpekhlua (Chennaiyin)
Maílson Alves (Chennaiyin)
- 1 goal
Manuel Lanzarote (Goa)- Anirudh Thapa (Chennaiyin)
- Jonatan Lucca (Pune City)
- Dhanpal Ganesh (Chennaiyin)
- Raphael Augusto (Chennaiyin)
Miku (Bengaluru)
Notes
- Qualified for 2019 AFC Cup qualifying play-offs
References
- Pathak, Manasi (9 February 2018). "ISL 2017–18: Bengaluru 2–0 Goa: Eagles better Gaurs to book semi-final berth". Goal.com.
- "Pune City FC qualify for semis despite 0–4 loss to FC Goa". New Indian Express. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Delhi Dynamos end Mumbai City FC's semi-final hopes with thumping victory". FirstPost. 27 February 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.
- "Goa books playoff spot". The Hindu. 5 March 2018. Retrieved 8 March 2018.