A packed Mumbai Football Arena was treated to a tenacious performance from the home side as Mumbai City FC fought back from a two-goal deficit to share the points with Mohun Bagan SG in their final home game of the regular season. Despite being reduced to 10 men for the majority of the second half, goals from Jon Toral (57’) and Nathan Rodrigues (89’) scripted a gritty comeback.
Mumbai City FC dominated possession in the first half with 64% of the ball but found themselves trailing as Mohun Bagan capitalised on their opportunities.
The Islanders pushed forward early, though they were caught offside three times, twice within the opening ten minutes. Around the ten-minute mark, a series of attempts from Bipin Singh, Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Thaer Krouma highlighted their intent, but none found the back of the net.
Mohun Bagan took the lead in the 31st minute after an unfortunate moment for Mumbai City FC. Yoëll van Nieff’s attempted clearance fell straight to Jamie Maclaren, who surged forward and placed a right-footed strike into the bottom left corner.
Minutes later, Brandon Fernandes attempted an ambitious shot from outside the box, but the score remained unchanged. Mohun Bagan then doubled the lead in the 41st minute when Dimitri Petratos reacted quickly to a rebound, guiding it into the net from close range.
Towards the end of the first half, the Islanders expertly routed long balls to open up the flanks, but they couldn't break into the box or convert them into clear-cut chances.
As the second half unfolded, Mumbai City FC showed a sense of urgency, looking to cut the deficit. The Islanders fired four shots in quick succession but were unable to find the breakthrough. Their persistence finally paid off in the 57th minute when they won a corner. Brandon Fernandes’ delivery set up Valpuia for a curling effort, which was blocked, but the ball ricocheted off Jon Toral and into the net, making it 1-2.
However, just a minute later, Mumbai City suffered a setback as Vikram Partap Singh received a second yellow card, reducing the home side to 10 men.
Despite being a man down, Mumbai City continued to press forward. In the 62nd minute, Yoëll van Nieff fired a left-footed shot from outside the box, but the effort was saved. Five minutes later, a corner from Brandon Fernandes found Tiri, whose header narrowly sailed over the crossbar.
Before the 80-minute mark, Jayesh Rane and Jorge Ortiz came on to replace Brandon Fernandes and Jon Toral, followed by Nathan Rodrigues replacing Sahil Panwar in the 87th minute. It wasn’t the first time this season that Rodrigues made an instant impact.
Ayush Chikara won Mumbai City a free kick, which was whipped into a dangerous area. Rodrigues pounced on the rebound to find the equaliser in the 89th minute.
The Islanders finished the encounter with 15 shots on goals with scoreline locked at 2-2 in full time.
Mumbai City take on Kerala Blasters in an away fixture on 7th March.
