Win 3-0 : ISL 2024-25

Reigning champions Mumbai City FC suffered their first home loss in nine matches at the Mumbai Football Arena (MFA) in the ongoing Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25. Their nemesis were none other than Punjab FC who overcame the Islanders by an impressive margin of 3-0 (HT 1-0), who had lost both their previous encounters last season in their debut season.

A late strike each by PFC’s foreign recruits Ezequiel Vidal (45 +1’) in added time of first half followed by one each by their chief protagonist Luka Majcen (53’) and Mushaga Bakenga (84’) to secure their fifth win in eight outings. For the Petr Kratky-coached home side it was their second loss also in eight outings despite having better ball possession (65%) compared to Panagiotis Dilmperis-coached visiting side.

Mumbai City FC created their first opportunity of the evening as early as the 6th minute through Jon Toral whose perfectly weighted pass for his captain Lallianzuala Chhangte. The latter attempted to square the ball across the box to Greek forward Nikos Karelis (scored five goals in the current season), was however intervened in nick of time by the rival defense. Again in the 25th minute, winger Bipin Singh teasing a cross into the box was headed by Karelis' which narrowly missed the target. Moments later, Karelis returned the favor with an incisive pass to Bipin, who delivered a precise ball for Chhangte, who too was unable to connect cleanly, and the scores remained level 0-0. Mumbai City FC continued to press forward, testing Punjab FC's goalkeeper and one such move Ravi Kumar in the 37th minute. Jayesh Rane, after a link up with Jon Toral, unleashed a powerful strike from outside the box that forced a sharp save from Ravi Kumar

Punjab FC who had showcased their resilience in absorbing the Islanders’ numerous attacking moves, however were the first to convert their chances. Their Slovenian born captain Majcen was the architect of the initial two strikes he and Vidal combined deftly to land the first blow. A one on one with Vidal and ladders thunderous successful left-footed effort into the top left corner from the outside of the 18-yard area, gave no chance to the score of Mumbai City FC players and diving goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa.

The visitors carried forward that momentum in the second half, exerting pressure onto the Mumbai City FC backline. One such attempt saw Filip Mrzljak free run being blocked by Franklin Nazareth during the run of play while defending inside the box. Much to the dismay of the host the on field referee deemed it to be an intentional foul and pointed to the spot, The ensuing spot-kick was successfully converted by Majcen, following a start stop attempt that off tracked rival custodian, for his fourth goal in the tourney in five games.

Substitutions of Mumbai City experienced campaigner Chhangte and Singh, with Brandon Fernandes and Noufal PN injected fresh energy into the attack. In the 61st minute, Toral came agonizingly close to pulling one back, as his right footed powerful strike from outside the box rattled the post. A minute later, Toral tried his luck again after a cross from Noufal, but his effort went wide. The host buoyed  by their vociferous supporters continued their pursuit of a goal. In the 77th minute, they had a flurry of attempts, with Karelis and Tiri both forcing the Punjab FC defense to scramble. An unmarked Asher Nathan Rodriques attempt that found its way over the goal line, before being cleared by Punjab defense was negated by the referee in absence of  any signal of confirmation from his assistant on the right flank overall summed up Mumbai’s best efforts, as goal remained out of reach.

It was Norwegian forward Bakenga who got his name on the scoresheet six minutes before the final whistle with a well-timed run into the centre of the box and then just slotting a straightforward pass by Ninthoinganba Meetei to the bottom left corner to add to Punjab FC’s tally and seal the game 3-0.

Mumbai City FC will play their next game against Hyderabad FC on Saturday, 30 November at their home base once again, whereas Punjab FC are set to feature against Mohammedan SC on Friday 6 December at the iconic Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, Delhi

Mumbai City FC Head Coach Petr Kratky blamed the loss on poor execution and decision-making on the field.

“For me, we were a little bit naïve. We just played between, when they waited to win the ball and go for a counter-attack. They are very good at it. On the other hand if we dominate the midfield, we will have more opportunities. We just need to be patient, keep working, and believe in the way we go. But, also, we need to be critical because it wasn't good enough today, " Kratky opined.

The Islanders' defensive lapses remain a major concern for the coach, as they have now conceded 13 goals in eight matches and Kratky acknowledged the need for improvement in every department to help them climb the points table. The Islanders post the loss remained in 10th position with ten points from eight matches.

Punjab FC Head Coach Panagiotis Dilmperis highlighted Argentinian forward Ezequiel Vidal’s opening goal as the game-changing moment in the absorbing match which the Shers won, after having suffered back-to-back losses against former champions FC Goa and NorthEast United FC. He praised his players for their collective efforts, highlighting their potential to overcome the defending ISL Cup winners. The visitors are placed fourth with 15 points from eight outings and are still in the position to qualify for the playoffs.

“It's been a long time now that our performance is good during the games. We created chances, but we couldn't score earlier in the previous two outings. Today, I played the game the same way and had a lot of chances from outside of the box. However I would say that we were lucky in the first goal because it was the end of the half and changed the balance of the game. And also, the ball hits somewhere and goes over; maybe the keeper could save it, In the second half it was so simple to manage the score and at the same time still keep doing what we were doing in the first half.” Dilmperis said.

He further opined that this performance against the Mumbai City FC side would boost his players’ confidence going forward and urged his players to stay focused and carry forward the positive momentum in the upcoming fixtures.

Result:

Punjab FC 3 (Ezequiel Vidal 45+1’, Luka Majcen 53’, Mushaga Bakenga 84’) beat Mumbai City FC 0. (HT 1-0)

Photo Cover: Navi Mumbai based Punjab FC midfielder Nikhil Prabhu (Right) road blocked free flowing rhythm of Mumbai City FC team once too often in the match

Photo Above: Punjab FC striker Ezequiel Vidal leads the celebration after scoring the first goal against Mumbai City FC at the stroke of half time (Photos courtesy ISL)