In six years of its existence, the Indian Super League (ISL) has seen a horde of strikers make their mark in the competition, namely Stiven Mendoza, Iain Hume, Ferran Corominas and Miku. But this season, it has been stars who plied their trade in Australia's A-League that have made a difference in India.
Two-time ISL champions ATK made the headlines before the season when they signed former Wellington Phoenix duo Roy Krishna and David Williams.
Fresh from having bagged the top scorer gong in A-League, an air of expectation was built around Roy Krishna. The Fijian forward's quality was unquestioned and all that remained to be seen was if he would be able to translate his form to India.
And Krishna did justice to the hype surrounding him as the ATK forward went on to top score in the ISL so far with eight goals in 10 matches. More importantly, the Fijian has scored some very important goals like late equalisers against Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC which has earned ATK crucial points.
Roy Krishna has delivered at crucial junctures of the season for the Kolkata club and has cemented his status as a crowd favourite. But credit also must go to his striker partner David Williams whose contribution this season is unforgettable.
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While Krishna has been the leader in attack, Williams has been the man behind the scenes. The Australian striker has played a pivotal role for ATK despite playing second fiddle to Krishna. The Australian might have just scored five goals in 10 matches, a record inferior to the Fijian, but his link-up play has allowed Krishna to thrive.
ATK’s strikers are one of the major reasons why the Kolkata club is arguably the most feared side in the league. It was this lethality that the Sanjeev-Goenka owned side was missing in attack in the last two years.
Another A-League star who is slowly making noise in the ISL is Hyderabad FC forward Bobo.
The Brazilian striker missed quite a few matches due to injury but now that he is back to full fitness, he is slowly making an impact for his club.
Bobo was the highest goal scorer in A-League in the 2017-18 season while playing for Sydney FC. He had scored 27 goals in 28 matches and was one of the finest in the Australian league.
The 34-year-old striker is yet to make an indelible mark in Indian football but his recent performances have been a hint of how good a footballer he is.
It was Bobo who had scored a brace to help the lowly-placed Hyderabad side to manage a draw against ATK. He also scored a goal against Mumbai City and Odisha to take his tally to four goals.
While Roy Krishna and David Williams’ presence has once again made ATK a strong side, Bobo is slowly making an impact for Hyderabad and is expected to elevate the team’s performance in the second half of the season.