Table toppers are expected to have it easy against the bottom-placed team, but in football, stranger things have happened. Mumbai may have been at the bottom of the table at the start of the match, but not for a moment did they look second-best at the DY Patil Stadium on Sunday, making first-placed FC Goa pay for their incompetence in front of goal, in a convincing 2-0 victory.
Chances at both ends
The game started in a state of frenzy, as both sides created chances almost alternatively with the ball continually traversing from one end of the pitch to another.
FC Goa should have taken the lead within the first ten minutes, but the chance was spurned. Raju Gaikwad’s flick from a corner found Victorino Fernandes, but with the goal at his mercy, the Sporting Club de Goa forward headed wide. This was not going to be Victorino’s night, as he wasted many opportunities in the game not only due to his lack of composure, but also because a determined goalkeeper in the form of Subrata Pal thwarted his efforts.
FC Goa dearly missed the attacking prowess of the injured Reinaldo, who was their man-in-form, and it showed on the pitch as the home team slowly started taking control of the game. They dominated possession and started taking advantage of a surprisingly nervous FC Goa backline.
A constant threat and perhaps an unsung hero of the match was Mumbai's Haitian import Sony Norde. His speedy runs and dangerous crosses into vital areas kept the FC Goa defenders on their toes. By the end of the match, he had taken the most shots as well as hit the most shots on target.
Penalty appeals turned down
Mumbai City FC had a penalty shout turned down when Piquionne, attempting to reach a ball from a corner, appeared to have gone down in the box from a challenge by Greogory Arnolin. Replays showed that Arnolin got a handful of Piquionne’s shirt to pull him down, but it skipped the referee’s eyes.
Later on Gabriel Fernandes also went down in the penalty box from a challenge, but again the referee shook his head and waved for play to go on.
Ironically, it was a penalty that gave Mumbai City FC the lead. In the 33rd minute, a delicious ball was played in from the right by Gabriel Fernandes. As Piquionne attempted to head home an apparently simple goal, he was clumsily fouled by a desperate Raju Gaikwad, who did not possess the required strength to shake off the physically superior Piquionne. Gaikwad got a yellow for his troubles, and should have considered himself lucky as many other referees would not have hesitated to brandish a red, seeing that it was a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Sunil Chhetri, who had been quiet for most part of the match till then, took the responsibility of taking the penalty, and he calmly dispatched a powerful shot into the bottom left corner with some relish, giving FC Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani no chance, although he did dive the right way.
Chhetri springs back to life
Adding to the tally of his two goals he scored against Delhi Dynamos last week, Chhetri suddenly looked more like the player who is hailed as India’s current best.
For the rest of the match, he created a host of opportunities and got on to the end of numerous chances. He danced around the Goa defence, making them look like they were attempting to catch smoke. The Goa defenders were at a loss and had no answer for Chhetri’s raw pace and smooth skills. It took a full length dive from Kattimany to deny Chhetri a second goal in the 39th minute.
The Indian captain was at it again in the next minute, when he got hold of a loose ball and served a delightful ball to Piquionne who shot straight at Kattimani.
Mumbai start the second half on a high
The match resumed with a bang after the break with Mumbai FC taking just three minutes to double their lead.
A free kick was awarded to Mumbai a few yards outside the penalty box. Norde stood over the ball and, when everyone was expecting him to shoot or lift in a cross, gave a short pass to Juan Aguilera who lifted in a cross into the heart of an unprepared Goa defence. A determined Piquionne then showed great strength to hold off two defenders and head the ball home for Mumbai’s second of the match and the 50th Indian Super League goal of the season.
FC Goa needed an immediate response and nearly got one in the 59th minute when Victorino got onto the end of a defence-splitting pass from Leo Moura, but with just the goalkeeper to beat, his shot sailed over the crossbar. Perhaps he should have aimed for a side.
The last 20 minutes did not see many chances, although hero of the match Chhetri tried to capitalise on some confusion caused between Kattimani and defender Arnolin. The high point was the arrival of Mumbai City FC player-cum-coach Nicolas Anelka who came on for Norde for the last quarter and his touches and passes reminded viewers of his days in the Premier League.
Mumbai eventually held on to their two-goal lead and closed the game without any late hiccups, much to the relief of the 23,000 fans.
They kept a clean sheet as well, which was definitely very encouraging for them and a sign of improvement. They did not look like the side which started the match languishing at the bottom of the table. It was a polished performance and they shined in both the departments: attacking and defending. But they will need to be more consistent if they want to progress. For certain, Chhetri and Norde are vital cogs in their wheel and professional performances as these are needed in all of their matches.
For Goa, it is back to square one. They could have cemented their position at the top of the table with a win, but now have work on how to win matches all over again. It could have been a different story had their players, especially Victorino, taken the chances that had been presented. They are still topping the league standings, but just by a point and have played a match more than all except second-placed Chennaiyin.
Mumbai, on the other hand, jumped to sixth in the standings, level on points and on goal difference with fifth placed Atletico de Kolkata, who have a goal more to their name.
Chances at both ends
The game started in a state of frenzy, as both sides created chances almost alternatively with the ball continually traversing from one end of the pitch to another.
FC Goa should have taken the lead within the first ten minutes, but the chance was spurned. Raju Gaikwad’s flick from a corner found Victorino Fernandes, but with the goal at his mercy, the Sporting Club de Goa forward headed wide. This was not going to be Victorino’s night, as he wasted many opportunities in the game not only due to his lack of composure, but also because a determined goalkeeper in the form of Subrata Pal thwarted his efforts.
FC Goa dearly missed the attacking prowess of the injured Reinaldo, who was their man-in-form, and it showed on the pitch as the home team slowly started taking control of the game. They dominated possession and started taking advantage of a surprisingly nervous FC Goa backline.
A constant threat and perhaps an unsung hero of the match was Mumbai's Haitian import Sony Norde. His speedy runs and dangerous crosses into vital areas kept the FC Goa defenders on their toes. By the end of the match, he had taken the most shots as well as hit the most shots on target.
Penalty appeals turned down
Mumbai City FC had a penalty shout turned down when Piquionne, attempting to reach a ball from a corner, appeared to have gone down in the box from a challenge by Greogory Arnolin. Replays showed that Arnolin got a handful of Piquionne’s shirt to pull him down, but it skipped the referee’s eyes.
Later on Gabriel Fernandes also went down in the penalty box from a challenge, but again the referee shook his head and waved for play to go on.
Ironically, it was a penalty that gave Mumbai City FC the lead. In the 33rd minute, a delicious ball was played in from the right by Gabriel Fernandes. As Piquionne attempted to head home an apparently simple goal, he was clumsily fouled by a desperate Raju Gaikwad, who did not possess the required strength to shake off the physically superior Piquionne. Gaikwad got a yellow for his troubles, and should have considered himself lucky as many other referees would not have hesitated to brandish a red, seeing that it was a clear goal scoring opportunity.
Sunil Chhetri, who had been quiet for most part of the match till then, took the responsibility of taking the penalty, and he calmly dispatched a powerful shot into the bottom left corner with some relish, giving FC Goa goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani no chance, although he did dive the right way.
Chhetri springs back to life
Adding to the tally of his two goals he scored against Delhi Dynamos last week, Chhetri suddenly looked more like the player who is hailed as India’s current best.
For the rest of the match, he created a host of opportunities and got on to the end of numerous chances. He danced around the Goa defence, making them look like they were attempting to catch smoke. The Goa defenders were at a loss and had no answer for Chhetri’s raw pace and smooth skills. It took a full length dive from Kattimany to deny Chhetri a second goal in the 39th minute.
The Indian captain was at it again in the next minute, when he got hold of a loose ball and served a delightful ball to Piquionne who shot straight at Kattimani.
Mumbai start the second half on a high
The match resumed with a bang after the break with Mumbai FC taking just three minutes to double their lead.
A free kick was awarded to Mumbai a few yards outside the penalty box. Norde stood over the ball and, when everyone was expecting him to shoot or lift in a cross, gave a short pass to Juan Aguilera who lifted in a cross into the heart of an unprepared Goa defence. A determined Piquionne then showed great strength to hold off two defenders and head the ball home for Mumbai’s second of the match and the 50th Indian Super League goal of the season.
FC Goa needed an immediate response and nearly got one in the 59th minute when Victorino got onto the end of a defence-splitting pass from Leo Moura, but with just the goalkeeper to beat, his shot sailed over the crossbar. Perhaps he should have aimed for a side.
The last 20 minutes did not see many chances, although hero of the match Chhetri tried to capitalise on some confusion caused between Kattimani and defender Arnolin. The high point was the arrival of Mumbai City FC player-cum-coach Nicolas Anelka who came on for Norde for the last quarter and his touches and passes reminded viewers of his days in the Premier League.
Mumbai eventually held on to their two-goal lead and closed the game without any late hiccups, much to the relief of the 23,000 fans.
They kept a clean sheet as well, which was definitely very encouraging for them and a sign of improvement. They did not look like the side which started the match languishing at the bottom of the table. It was a polished performance and they shined in both the departments: attacking and defending. But they will need to be more consistent if they want to progress. For certain, Chhetri and Norde are vital cogs in their wheel and professional performances as these are needed in all of their matches.
For Goa, it is back to square one. They could have cemented their position at the top of the table with a win, but now have work on how to win matches all over again. It could have been a different story had their players, especially Victorino, taken the chances that had been presented. They are still topping the league standings, but just by a point and have played a match more than all except second-placed Chennaiyin.
Mumbai, on the other hand, jumped to sixth in the standings, level on points and on goal difference with fifth placed Atletico de Kolkata, who have a goal more to their name.
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