Mumbai City FC were held to a 1-1 draw by Punjab FC in a closely fought encounter at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi. It was Nikos Karelis’ ninth goal of the campaign that helped the visitors draw level after Luka Majcen gave the hosts the lead. This was the Islanders’ sixth draw in this campaign and keeps them in the top six.
It was a congested start to the game with both teams being watchful in the opening minutes of this contest. Mumbai City FC kept more of the ball in the early exchanges, but Punjab FC had the first real attempt of the game in the 9th minute, with a sharp half-volley from Filip Mrzljak, which TP Rehenesh was relieved to see go wide of his post.
However, Mumbai City FC’s goalkeeper was soon called into action when Luka Majcen registered the game’s first shot on target. The visitors responded almost instantly when Nikolas Karelis came inches away from giving the Islanders a lead in the 14th minute, hitting the crossbar with a close-range header from a corner.
Despite Mumbai City FC keeping most of the possession, it was the hosts who had more attempts on goal in the first half an hour.
It wasn’t the ideal end to the first half for the visitors after a yellow card for Yoell van Nieff in the 41st minute. The booking will result in the midfielder being unavailable for the next game. TP Rehenesh had to be replaced by Phurba Lachenpa soon after, with the former suffering an injury.
Punjab FC eventually got their noses in front in first half stoppage time. Luka Majcen buried his opportunity after being played through on goal by Asmir Suljic.
Mumbai City FC appeared rejuvenated in the second half, getting a sniff of an opportunity in the 52nd minute, after an error from Muheet Shabir gave Nikolas Karelis half a chance. However, the number nine couldn’t make the most out of it.
The persistence paid off as the Greek striker eventually got the Islanders back on level terms in the 58th minute, after a nifty pass from Yoell van Nieff allowed him to execute a sharp turn and finish to score his ninth goal of the season.
The Islanders found their groove after getting back on level terms, putting the hosts under pressure. That resulted in the game being a lot more open, giving both teams an opportunity to keep breaking away quickly. Punjab FC were denied a chance to move ahead in the game in the 74th minute by Phurba Lachenpa after he was called into action by Nihal Sudheesh.
With the aim to secure three points, Petr Kratky made a triple change in the 77th minute, with Nikolas Karelis, Jayesh Rane and Vikram Partap Singh making way for Ayush Chhikara, Jon Toral and Prabir Das.
Phurba Lachenpa stood tall in the Mumbai City FC goal after the hosts tried their luck with a couple long range efforts in the final ten minutes. The Islanders nearly clinched three points in the dying embers of the game when Ayush Chhikara’s attempt was cleared off the line in the 92nd minute, but it wasn’t meant to be.
Mumbai City FC will be back in action at the Mumbai Football Arena on the 26th January, taking on the Mohammedan SC.
