Mumbai City FC registered a huge victory in a thrilling 3-2 encounter against Bengaluru FC, ending Sunil Chhetri’s side 19-game unbeaten run at home in the Indian Super League (ISL).

With this victory, the Islanders continued their four-match undefeated run in the ISL this season and have risen to the sixth spot in the points table. Three players – Subhasish Bose, Diego Carlos and Rowllin Borges etched their name on the score sheet for Mumbai with Borges’ goal coming in the 94th minute cancelling out Chhetri’s equalizer for Bengaluru only a few moments ago.

Mumbai, who now have three draws and one win on the trot, look settled as they posted a much better defensive record than their opponents with Bose and Sarthak Golui putting in strong performances at the back. Carlos who missed the previous match against Kerala Blasters came as a substitute and gave much-needed respite in the second half with his goal.

Subhasish Bose raises the bar

Playing as a left back, Bose’s high work rate allowed Mumbai to dictate the tempo of the game. Controlling the left flank for the Islanders, Bose made 17 clearances, four blocks, two crucial interceptions and topped it off by scoring the first goal of the match in the 12th minute.

Bose was so clinical in his approach that he didn’t register a single foul in the entire game and provided the all-important assist to Borges for the late winner. His performance was noteworthy as he ensured that the Islanders maintained their hard-earned lead through his defensive show as well. Given his spectacular outing on the field, Bose was by far the most effective person on the field for Mumbai on the night.

Read | Rowllin Borges out to prove himself with Mumbai City FC

Set pieces were lethal

Mumbai entered the field with a get-go intent and ended up bridging the gap between the mid table and top table teams. What worked for the Islanders was their high effectiveness to score from set pieces. Mumbai’s two goals came from set pieces while all the third came from converting their cross successfully.

Even though Mumbai had lesser possession than their opponents, they eventually managed to register more shots on target than Bengaluru. If not for Mato Grgic’s own goal, the Islander would have won comfortably and could have avoided the late drama.

Mumbai strike late once again

Midfielder Borges ensured that Mumbai walk away with all three points into the next matchday. In addition to his late goal, Borges was instrumental in withholding Bengaluru’s attacking prowess of Chhetri and Raphael Augusto, posting a passing accuracy of 74% along with making six pivotal tackles and three interceptions.

Borges’s winner has surely turned things around for Mumbai who seemed to have been building a positive momentum from the past few games. Their next encounter is against a tougher opponent, Jamshedpur FC and if all goes well, the Islanders can slowly crawl their way to the top.

Feature image courtesy: Twitter / @IndSuperLeague

Related tags:

Mumbai City FC Protected Content