Indian Super League leaders Mumbai City FC faced Chennayin FC after their win over SC East Bengal in their last fixture. Chennaiyin FC lost to ATK Mohun Bagan 1-0 in their previous outing in the ISL. Lobera expected a win from his side as they took on the 6th placed club. However, the match result did not meet his expectations.
With ATK Mohun Bagan having a game in hand, Mumbai City had their winning run halted. This failure to win decreased their lead at the top of the table.
Team Selection and Strategy
Both teams had a 4-2-3-1 formation on paper but as the match progressed, the teams lined up quite differently. Lobera switched Mumbai City FC to a 4-3-3 formation with Raynier Fernandes and Bipin Singh on the flanks and Obegeche as the striker. The three-man midfield comprised of Boumous, Borges, and Jahouh. Mourtada Fall and Hernan Santana were the center-backs with Dakshinamurthy and Amey Ranawade doing their job at the wings. Amrinder Singh started between the post for Mumbai City.
Chennaiyin FC transformed themselves to form a two-man attack in the forefront with Isma and Jakub Sylvestr as the striking pair. Thoi Singh and Chhangte played in the right-midfielder and left-midfielder positions respectively. Germanpreet Singh and Memo took the midfield with Reagan Singh and Lalrinwuala covering the flanks. Defensive duties were outsourced to Sabia and Sipovic with Vishal Kaith as the goalkeeper.
Chennaiyin FC tried to take an early bird home
Chennaiyin FC made a quick start in the game with a chance to take the lead in the early minutes of the match. Chhangte received the ball just outside the box that was not cleared properly by Fall. He let a go with a flair shot but Amrinder matched it with a save in the 2nd minute. The team had yet another chance early to take the lead from a set-piece routine. Chhangte served a lovely ball from the corner which connected with Eli Sabia only to be denied by the frame of the goal. Chennaiyin FC was unlucky to have squandered such chances as Mumbai City drew the first blood in the 21st minute.
Bipin Singh received the ball from Rowllin Borges and immediately hit the sweet spot for inviting a header onto the far post. Obegeche climbed in the air and converted the cross into a goal-scoring his fifth of the season. The second half involved a lot of chances for both sides but none could profit from the build-up of the game.
Horrorshow from Mumbai City FC in the second half
Chennaiyin changed its approach and started to press to draw a mistake from their opponents. One such incident occurred to haunt Mumbai as Jahouh fouled a charging Slyvestr inside the box. The referee pointed towards the spot without awarding any card. Isma took the responsibility and nailed the penalty sending Amrinder to the opposite side.
Despite Mumbai’s 64% possession control, they failed to win the match. Lobera’s men showed a lack of discipline with more fouls in the game. This draw does not change their position in the table but Mohun Bagan has a game in hand and looks to close the gap on the top of the table.
