Under pressure and with their backs to the wall, Mumbai City FC showed great character, fighting back from a two-goal deficit to defeat FC Goa 3-2. For the Islanders, Lallianzuala Chhangte scored a brace and Vikram Partap Singh got on the scoresheet as well, as they stormed back to silence the Goan crowd at the JLN Stadium in Goa.
It was a slow start for Mumbai City FC, as the home team, FC Goa were out of the blocks quicker, and kept the visitors in check. However, FC Goa too hadn’t created much in attack, and both teams were measured in the early exchanges. But just as the first quarter of the game was out of the way, Goa broke free, as Mohammed Yasir and Boris Singh combined to give the hosts a 1-0 lead.
After that, the Islanders started to settle in, getting their passing game going, and creating a couple of openings. There was a shot from distance, and a cheeky step over from Chhangte, and that almost cut open FC Goa, but it still wasn’t enough for the equaliser. Mumbai City FC were starting to turn up the style as the half-hour mark approached.
Goa upped the ante a bit too in the final stages of the first half but Mumbai City FC held on, even though an equaliser was yet to come by. At the break, FC Goa led 1-0.
The second half started with Mumbai City FC looking the better of the two sides, as they forced Dheeraj Singh into a couple of saves within the first few minutes. But against the run of play, on the 56th minute, Brandon Fernandes doubled the lead from distance. FC Goa led 2-0, and continued to control the proceedings for the next 15-odd minutes. Mumbai City FC though were doing enough to keep them at bay.
From then on in, the Islanders continued to threaten and were constantly in and around the opposition penalty area. While Chhangte, Vikram and Bipin tried to break the shackles at one end, Phurba Lachenpa was doing well to keep it at 2-0, making some sublime saves.
On the 90th minute, the Islanders halved the deficit, as Jayesh Rane split the defence with a beautiful through ball down the centre, and Chhangte sprinted on to it, took it past Dheeraj, and found the back of the net.
Mumbai weren’t done, as Gurkirat drove at the defence, and fired one in at goal, which Dheeraj saved, but it fell to Vikram, who swept it home without a second thought to make it 2-2. In a flash, Mumbai City FC had changed the complexion of the contest and were eyeing a winner in stoppage time.
FC Goa were shell-shocked, and there was more coming – Jayesh collected the ball in the centre just outside the box, and went on a mazy run, before laying it off to Chhangte, and he put the laces through it, past Dheeraj. Mumbai City FC had roared back from 0-2 down, and won it 3-2 in what was a thriller.
The two sides will meet in the second leg of the semi-final on April 29 in Mumbai.
