Mumbai City FC were locked in a hard fought 1-1 draw against Chennayin FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Chennai. Though Chennayin FC took the lead in the second half, Nathan Rodrigues struck his second goal in two matches to ensure both teams would walk away with a point each. Following the result, Mumbai City FC occupy the eighth position on the table, with 10 points in seven matches.
Both teams approached the match cautiously in the opening minutes but found their rhythm soon after the ten-minute mark. Mumbai City FC displayed a composed approach, with their backline dictating the pace and carefully building their moves forward.
The Islanders’ gloveman, Phurba Lachenpa was called into action as early as the ninth minute. On a quick breakaway, Chennayin’s Vincy Baretto fired at goal from inside the box only to be denied by a strong save from Lachenpa.
Chennaiyin FC continued to press, piecing together a series of attacks that kept Mumbai City's defense on alert. In the 17th minute, Tiri showcased his defensive prowess with an acrobatic interception inside the box, derailing dangerous move by the home side.
Mumbai City FC responded swiftly, as Yoëll Van Nieff unleashed a powerful, low-driven shot from outside the box that forced a corner in the 17th minute. From the resulting set piece, Van Nieff sent in a precise cross for a leaping Tiri, whose header went narrowly wide of the target.
In the 21st minute, Lallianzuala Chhangte deployed a crafty ball to find Nikolaos Karelis in the box, however the Greek Forward’s shot was off target.
Displaying his speed in the 29th minute, Nathan Rodrigues made a threating run before he found Karelis with razor sharp precision. Karelis’ shot, however, would go straight to the hands of the keeper.
In another opportunity for Mumbai City FC that came in the 33rd minute, Valpuia made an adventurous solo run into the box but a mistimed strike from him would nullify the chance.
As the second half commenced, Jayesh Rane was brought on to replace Brandon Fernandes. A corner for Chennayin FC in the 60th minute would see them edge ahead of Mumbai City as Ryan Edwards’ header from the centre of the trickled into the net to make it 1-0.
The Islanders cut the deficit in the 63rd minute when Nathan Rodrigues headed Van Nieff’s whipped cross into goal, to make it 1-1, and score his second consecutive goal in two matches.
In the 67th minute, Mumbai City FC reinforced the squad with the inclusion of Noufal PN and Thaer Krouma, in exchange for Bipin Singh and Tiri respectively.
A few anxious moments ensued in the dying embers of the game, but Mumbai City remained steadfast in their defensive efforts and did well to keep Chennayin FC at bay.
In stoppage time, Nathan Rodrigues nearly scripted his second of the night when he came in from the left flank and took a powerful shot on goal but the second goal evaded Mumbai City FC.
Mumbai City FC will be in action again when they take on Punjab FC in a home encounter on 26th November.
