Mumbai City FC jumps to third spot with 1-0 win over Delhi Dynamos

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai: Mumbai City FC survived some anxiety in the closing stages to grind out a 1-0 victory over Delhi Dynamos FC to jump to third position in the inaugural edition of the Hero Indian Super League on Wednesday.

Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC

French striker Nicolas Anelka scored the winning goal for the second time in two matches for the hosts who now have nine points from six outings.

The winning goal came a minute before the hour mark when Anelka tapped in a cross from Subhash Singh, who accelerated from the right flank after selling a dummy to one Delhi Dynamos defender and delivering a pin-point cross for the Frenchman.

The lone goal proved enough in the final analysis but the team could have been left ruing their forward lines inability to kill the game despite four or five clear opportunities on the counter with the visitors pressing hard for an equaliser.

Those near misses almost came to haunt them when Delhi Dynamos skipper Alessandro Del Piero’s header missed the goal post by a few centimetres and the Italian hung his head in disbelief in the 90th minute of the match that came alive only in the second half.

In contrast, the first half was a battle between the two midfields with none of the teams willing to commit more men forward and happy to retain possession. The hosts were even more cautious about maintaining their shape and that meant that the only attempts at goal from Delhi Dynamos were long rangers that were either off the mark or easy for custodian Subrata Pal to connect.

Mumbai went into the match with the same starting XI that had grinded out a 1-0 victory over Kerala Blasters but were forced to make a change when skipper Syed Rahim Nabi got injured in the very first minute and had to be subsequently replaced by Peter Costa.

The earlier set back meant that the hosts needed some time to settle into a rhythm and till then the visitors enjoyed a bulk of possession but with nothing much to show for.

Mumbai City FC were happy playing the waiting game and it was only after the half an hour mark that the likes of Andre Moritz and Nicolas Anelka began weaving their magic.

The best chance to score for Mumbai City FC came through one such inter-linking play from the duo when Moritz nutmeg in the middle of the park and then played the ball to Anelka. But the unmarked Subhash Singh could only volley the Frenchman’s pin point cross into the ground and over the crossbar.

But the hosts showed a lot more purpose in the second half and their efforts were rewarded when Anelka found the net to send the DY Patil stadium in raptures.

After the goal, Mumbai City FC were willing to sit back and wait for counter attack opportunities, which came a plenty once Delhi Dynamos began to press higher. But on most occasions the final ball to the striker turned out to be below-par.

This left the hosts facing intense scrutiny in the last 10 minutes but some good fortune and an excellent performance from Pal under the bar, who kept Del Piero and company out with some unbelievable reflexes, saved the day.

Mumbai City FC coach Peter Reid credited the victory to a team effort and said it was important to continue the moment now. “It was a very good win for us and Anelka and Pal were superb today. Pal made a couple of good saves, especially of Del Piero to help us win three points.”

Pal was happy with his performance and said it was the disciplined effort of the defence that made all the difference.

Result

Mumbai City FC 1 (Nicolas Anelka 59) bt Delhi Dynamos FC 0

Hero of the Match: Nicolas Anelka
Emerging Player of the Match: Subrata Pal
Fitness Player of the Match: Jan Stohanzl
Swift Moment of the Match: Subash Singh

SSE BFC to conduct trials for U9 to U17 age group players

SSE BFC Soccer School will be conducting fresh trials this month for players aged below 17 to be part of their football program SSE BFC Soccer Schools is a football…

Share

India Khelo Football Season 3 Trials for Mumbai and Thane are here

India Khelo Football (IKF) is back with Season 3 of its widely acclaimed trials with an aim to cover more than 50 cities this time around. After the resounding success…

Share

Mastering the Art of Football Trials: Key Pre-Trial Factors to Keep in Mind

Football trials are a critical juncture for aspiring players to showcase their skills and secure a spot in a team. To maximize your chances of success, it’s essential to tailor your approach based on your playing position as well as keeping in mind a few pre-trial factors.

Share

Somaiya Sports Academy to conduct trials for MFA 2nd Division campaign

Somaiya Sports Academy is looking for passionate young football players for the Somaiya Sports Academy Football Team to compete in the MFA 2nd Division League 2023-2024. If selected, you will…

Share

BFC Soccer Schools – Mumbai to conduct trials for U14 & U16 Girls

The BFC Soccer Schools Elite team girls’ trials are coming up in search of talented players from the U14 to U16 (Born 2009 and after) age groups into the club’s…

Share

Opportunity to make the team: U.K.M. Kothrud FC conducts selection trials for girls team

Pune-based U.K.M. Kothrud FC has announced that they will be conducting selection trials for their girl’s team on 15th January 2023 The club welcomes all players to come and showcase…

Share

The Sunday Football League Season 4 is back

The Sunday Football League is back with its fourth season, and it’s shaping up to be the best one yet. With eight talented teams competing at the Kes Kandivali turf, there…

Share

BFC Soccer Schools Elite team trials in Feb

Bengaluru FC launched their Mumbai program last season with the Soccer Schools and Elite programs with its local partner Soccer Schools of Excellence (SSE).  Bengaluru Football Club is a professional club…

Share

India Khelo Football Season 2 Trials in Mumbai: A Chance to Kickstart Your Football Career

After conducting trials in 34 cities & villages across India, India Khelo Football is coming to Mumbai to hunt talent on 7th January. India Khelo Football kickstarted its season 2…

Share

Mumbai Customs to conduct trials for Elite League

Former champions Mumbai Customs will be holding open trials for the upcoming MFA Elite Corporate League (Elite Division) The 2019 MFA Elite Division champions Mumbai Customs are conducting open trials…

Share