The 2018 Indian Super League final was a football match between Bengaluru and Chennaiyin, played on 17 March 2018, at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bangalore. The match was a culmination of the 2017–18 Indian Super League, the fourth season of one of the top professional football leagues in India. Chennaiyin won the match, defeating Bengaluru 3–2. Hero of the Match Maílson Alves scored a brace for Chennaiyin while Raphael Augusto scored their third goal. Bengaluru's Sunil Chhetri originally gave his side the lead with his ninth minute goal while Miku scored their consolation in second half stoppage-time.
Chennaiyin managed to qualify for the finals after finishing in second during the regular season. They then defeated Goa over two legs, 4–1, in the semi-finals. Bengaluru qualified for the finals after finishing at the top of the regular season table. They then defeated Pune City during the semi-finals tie, 3–1. Prior to the finals, Chennaiyin and Bengaluru played each other twice during the season, with both sides winning the away fixtures against each other.
The ISL Cup was Chennaiyin's second, after they won the 2015 final. This was Bengaluru's first time in the final in what was only their first season in the Indian Super League. As the Champions, Chennaiyin earned a berth into the 2019 AFC Cup qualifiers. It was a thriller with one late goal
Background This was Bengaluru's first season in the Indian Super League and also their first appearance in the finals. Meanwhile Chennaiyin made their second appearance in the Indian Super League finals.
Sunil Chhetri scored the fastest goal in an Indian Super League final in 8 minutes 5 seconds.
Maílson Alves was named the man of the match for scoring two goals.
Match
GK 1 Gurpreet Singh SandhuDF 6 John JohnsonDF 16 Erik Paartalu DF 5 JuananMF 2 Rahul BhekeMF 8 Lenny Rodrigues MF 14 Dimas Delgado MF 17 Boithang Haokip FW 21 Udanta SinghFW 11 Sunil Chhetri FW 7 MikuSubstitutes:GK 28 Lalthuammawia RalteDF 22 Nishu Kumar MF 20 Alwyn GeorgeMF 19 ToniMF 12 Daniel Segovia MF 44 Víctor Pérez MF 4 Zohmingliana RalteHead coach: Albert Roca GK 1 Karanjit SinghDF 14 Iñigo CalderónDF 27 Maílson AlvesDF 2 Henrique SerenoDF 18 Jerry LalrinzualaMF 17 Dhanpal GaneshMF 6 Bikramjit Singh MF 30 Francis Fernandes MF 7 Gregory Nelson MF 19 Raphael Augusto FW 12 Jeje LalpekhluaSubstitutes:GK 13 Pawan KumarMF 15 Anirudh Thapa MF 8 Jaime Gavilán MF 10 Rene MiheličMF 11 Thoi Singh FW 9 Jude NworuhFW 20 Mohammed RafiHead coach: John Gregory Man of the Match:Maílson Alves (Chennaiyin) Match rules 90 minutes. 30 minutes of extra time if necessary. Penalty shoot-out if scores still level.
References
External links Indian Super League Official Website.