Terrific Taisuke’s late winner propels Mumbai FC to a sixth place finish

Mumbai FC secured their I-League status for next season after finishing in sixth place with a 2-1 win over Kalyani Bharat FC in the last round of the Hero I-League at Cooperage on Saturday, 30th May 2015. This is Mumbai FC’s highest finish ever in their history.

Khalid Jamil named an unchanged side from his side’s 2-1 win over East Bengal in their last game while Bharat FC were without start striker Kris Bright from the start as the tall forward had to settle for a place on the bench.

Mumbai FC who needed a point to be safe from the drop, started the game with a high tempo withMumbai FC’s Taisuke Matsugae very nearly making Bharat FC pay for some sloppy defending in the 8th minute by pouncing on a loose ball and drive inside the Bharat FC box to force a save off Shahinlal Meloy

Two minutes later, Mumbai FC took the lead through Ashutosh Mehta, who rose the highest to send a brilliant glancing header into the bottom corner as the hosts were rewarded for a quick start.

Bharat FC were struggling to cope with Mumbai FC’s physicality on set pieces and almost paid for it in the 13th minute when Josimar peeled away from his marker to get on the end of a deep free kick, but his volley was a rather tame one which allowed the Bharat FC goalkeeper to gobble it up.

The visitors who struggled to build any attacks of note in the first half had their hands full dealing with Mumbai FC’s constant threat upfront. Taisuke was at the thick of things in the 23rd minute when his lay off allowed Mohammed Rafi to fire a venomous drive at goal which just sailed over the crossbar.

Mumbai had great chances to stretch their lead from set-pieces but saw Brazilian Josimar miss a free header from six yards out in the 25th minute which was followed by another miss from a free header from Chika Wali, nine minutes later.

Yet another chance went begging for the hosts in the first minute of first half stoppage time, when a brilliant piece of play from Alan Dias saw the full back slide Taisuke through on goal, but the Japanese lifted his shot over the goal to see his side take only a slender lead into half time, despite dominating the game and creating a host of chances to add to their tally.

Bharat FC showed more promise at the start of the second half as the Mumbai FC custodian Kunal Sawant had to alert to make a good low save to deny Romulao Boco in the 50th minute.

Khalid Jamil decided to change personnel to seize back the control of the game as he brought on John Coutinho in place of Jayesh Rane three minutes later.

Stuart Watkiss too responded to his side’s slight resurgence after the restart by throwing on Kris Bright in place of Subhas Singh.

Just as it looked like Mumbai FC had tamed a Bharat FC wave, the hosts conceded a rather soft goal when substitute Omar Jarun beat an onrushing Kunal Sawant to the ball to see his looping effort go into the net despite substitute Abhishek Yadav’s efforts to clear it in the 71st minute.

The equalizer saw a complete momentum shift as the visitors began to look more and more menacing as the full time whistle neared. Jamil knowing a point would preserve their I-League status for another season, brought on Shilton D’Silva in place of Josimar in the final quarter of the game pushing Taisuke in the striker’s role.

With the game heating up, Dharmaraj Ravanan got involved in a rough battle with Taisuke Matsugae and was booked for that.

Romulao Boco was unfortunate not to have put Bharat FC in front in the 78th minute, when Ashutosh Mehta’s sloppy defending allowed him to cut in and unleash a powerful drive which bounced out off the crossbar.

With relegation, though distant, but a possibility Mumbai FC sat deeper in their box trying to hold on for a point, invited extreme pressure onto them which they nervously dealt with.

But then came the most crucial moment in the game when Mumbai FC broke with Climax Lawrence releasing Mohammed Rafi on the right flank who curled a beautiful cross at the near post which was rather heroically met by Taisuke Matsugae who made a late run to beat his marker and nod past the Bharat FC goalkeeper to send Cooperage into delirium.

The Japanese’s darting run at the heart of the Bharat FC defense was a breathtaking one as it totally undid the Bharat FC defense.

The win meant Mumbai FC avoided relegation and finished in a record sixth position in the I-League charts with a tally of twenty four points.

Taisuke’s goal was a perfect way to end their first full campaign back at Cooperage after five years of wait. The other results saw five time Indian Champions Dempo get relegated after going down 2-0 to Salgaocar.

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