ISL: Brave Mumbai City FC deny Bagan winning start

Kolkata: It required two alarming defensive lapses from Mumbai City FC for Mohun Bagan Super Giant to prove that bulk of the possession need not equate to result-oriented football. Mumbai City FC, however, stirred after the second half restart to find a late equaliser, forcing Mohun Bagan to split points in the Indian Super League season opener here on Friday.

Prevailing for almost an hour, Mohun Bagan looked to have done the hard work but the defending champions were like a force refusing to be contained, leaving Mohun Bagan more questions than answers. Their midfield wasn’t up to scratch and neither was the marking very assuring but as long as Mohun Bagan were 2-0 up, none of that could have mattered in the immediate context.

Mumbai City FC’s late surge provided a dramatic conclusion though. And to be fair, they had the lasting first impressions too. Bagan’s supporters had still not returned to their seats when Nikolaos Karelis and Bipin Singh exchanged the ball before Bipin tore down the left wing and centred the ball but it evaded Lallianzuala Chhangte on the top of the box.

Minutes later, Bipin sent in a cross from the left but Karelis couldn’t connect his header properly. Chhangte still had ample time to set up Jon Toral and he drilled it goalwards, only for an offside Bipin to touch the ball on its way.

Chasing coattails till this point of time, all Mohun Bagan needed was a slice of luck to go their way. A free-kick was used to set up Liston Colaco on the left and he duly sent in a low cross that Mumbai City FC goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa seemed to have a measure of. To City’s horror however, the ball ricocheted off defender Jose Lui Tiri and went in for a same side goal. Fourteenth minute, and Mumbai could have still pulled level had Karelis not headed Chhangte’s cross wide.

By now, the scoreline wasn’t a fair reflection of the proceedings considering how Toral and Yoell van Nieff were still taking turns dissecting Mohun Bagan’s near-absent midfield and turn up in their box. Corners were exacted as well, but nothing came of them. This is when, almost against the run of play, Bagan showed their class of touch.

Trigger, of course, was Mumbai’s panicky defending once again, failing to clear a corner and allowing Jason Cummings to lay it off to Asish Rai in the right. Lobbing it high to the far post, Rai found Greg Stewart who in turn set up Alberto Rodriguez in the box, as he drilled it past Lachenpa for Bagan’s second goal.

Riding Bipin Singh’s incisive runs from the left, Mumbai were trying to burrow into the box but either the finish wasn’t strong or they simply didn’t have the lion’s share of the luck. Which was significant because not till 10 minutes from the half-time whistle did Mohun Bagan have all their parts working in tandem.

Only after Rai had become more proactive in tackling Bipin were Mumbai forced to shift towards the centre. But there they were running into Colaco who did a remarkable job dropping back quickly to keep Mumbai at arm’s length. Which meant that even though Mumbai had ended the first half with 59% possession, Bagan were 2-0 up converting two out three shots on goal.

It had started drizzling by the hour mark but nothing else had changed in the field of play. Dropping back to put more bodies behind the ball, Mohun Bagan looked determined to hold the 2-0 advantage. But finally, a corner changed Mumbai’s luck. Taken short at first, prompting Bagan’s defenders to break away from the goalmouth, the ball was again put back in the box but neither Karelis nor Tiri were in proper position to drive in from close. But so brittle was the defending that the ball stayed in the box, and Tiri finally unleashed a goal on the turn from close.

Like clockwork, Mumbai City FC had to come back again to do their thing, and quite dramatically in the last minute of regulation time with the rain pelting down. Maybe the legs were tired or they just didn’t see it coming, but Mohun Bagan’s defence looked completely in tatters when Noufal PN hared down the left wing for another shy at the goal. His centre found Thaer Krouma—coming on for Karelis just five minutes back—who quite brilliantly drove home into the far bottom corner to deny Mohun Bagan a winning start.