ISL Flashback: Fikru gets ISL off the mark
October 12th, 2014. Kolkata. The entire aura at the Salt Lake Stadium was euphoric. One couldn’t help it – it was the first match of the nation’s inaugural Hero Indian Super League. Cheers and roars filled the stadium as the home team Atletico de Kolkata went up against Mumbai City FC. It was a historic moment for Indian football.
The magnitude of the moment, as well as the roars, doubled when Atletico de Kolkata’s Ethiopian marksman Fikru Teferra Lemessa – popularly known as Fikru – netted a goal against the Mumbai side – ISL’s first ever goal! It was a shot, right into the history books!
Scoring on the 28th minute from a Luis Garcia assist, Fikru easily lobbed one past Mumbai City FC goalkeeper Subrata Paul to open the scoring for Atletico – a match which they would go on to win 3-0.
The African seemed extremely jubilant as the stadium was graced with fireworks. It had taken everyone by surprise, dignitaries and commoners alike. It was also the first time the Indian masses got a glimpse of Fikru’s famous post-goal celebration antics.
Source: Indian Super League.
