Mumbai City FC overcome late scare against East Bengal FC to seize critical 3-2 victory

Mumbai City FC beat East Bengal FC by 3-2 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 tonight. Despite conceding 55% of the possession to East Bengal FC, the Islanders were more lethal in the final third, taking eight shots on target as opposed to the five of the home team, and moved up to fifth from the seventh spot in the standings.  

Mumbai City FC were offensively prolific in the first-half, recording 12 touches inside East Bengal FC’s box in the opening 45 minutes. Nikolaos Karelis’ thumping header from near the six-yard box was blocked on the goal-line after a well-coordinated corner move by the Islanders in the 28th minute. Tiri received the ball on the far post and headed it to Karelis, who tried to nod the ball home, but his shot couldn’t trouble the net.

Eleven minutes later, the visitors pulled off another flawless sequence from the back, with their defensive unit initiating the attack. Brandon Fernandes picked the ball from Vikram Partap Singh at the centre from distance. Immediately, Brandon carved open the East Bengal FC defence with a slick through-ball intended for Lallianzuala Chhangte. The attacker took a fine touch, before he deposited it into the bottom left corner with a fierce right-footed shot to break the deadlock.

They capitalised on this momentum, with Yoell van Nieff coming to the fore with a similar delivery that swung past the gaps in the East Bengal FC backline. This time around, the ball was directed to Karelis, who took an instant shot that was stopped by Prabhsukhan Singh Gill. However, the striker latched on to the rebound, placing the ball into the bottom right corner in the 43rd minute to double their lead.

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The home side regained their attacking intensity as soon as the second essay of the game began though. They didn’t let the Islanders settle and dictate the offensive endeavours as was the case in the first half. Naorem Mahesh Singh put pressure on the Mumbai City FC defence with an industrious effort in the 66th minute down the left flank. The Petr Kratky-coached team fell short of clearing the ball out, which instead ended up landing at Dimitrios Diamantakos’ feet on the right post. The striker tried for a lateral pass from close range, but Mumbai City FC’s Sahil Panwar got in the way and struck the ball inside his own net, reducing the deficit for the Red & Gold Brigade.

East Bengal FC started stretching the Islanders’ defence thereafter, going out wide, exploring spaces at the centre, and winning the occasional set-piece to put the opposition behind. In the 83rd minute, a corner kick led to the equaliser for the Kolkata-based side. The Islanders wore a disorganised look for a brief while and it was enough for the Oscar Bruzon-coached unit to pounce upon. By pushing sheer numbers ahead, they overwhelmed the Mumbai City FC backline in their own box. Hector Yuste showed his smarts by using his head to lay a ball on David Lalhlansanga’s path at the centre of the box, and the latter used his left foot to send the ball into the bottom left corner.

East Bengal FC’s joy was short-lived though, as Mumbai City FC snatched the winner four minutes later, with Karelis bagging his brace. The Islanders had Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) graduate Nathan Rodrigues unlock the Red & Gold Brigade defence with a well-paced delivery down the centre of the box from the left flank. Hijazi Maher couldn’t intercept and thwart the threat, resulting in Karelis picking the ball swiftly and caressing it into the bottom left corner to secure all three points for his team.

Key Performer of the Match

Nikolaos Karelis (Mumbai City FC)The striker completed seven out of his 11 attempted passes, tackling once, and netting twice to round off a successful outing.

What’s next for both teams?

East Bengal FC’s next match will be the Kolkata Derby against Mohun Bagan Super Giant on January 11, whereas Mumbai City FC are set to feature against Jamshedpur FC on January 12.

Brief Scores

East Bengal FC 2 (Sahil Panwar OG 66’, David Lalhlansanga 83’) – 3 Mumbai City FC (Lallianzuala Chhangte 39’, Nikolaos Karelis 43’ 87’)

First Published: 

Jan 7, 2025 12:10 AM

IST