Unlucky Mumbai City FC held by Kerala Blasters

In front of a strong 61,483 passionate fans, the clash between Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City FC ended in a stalemate at Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Kochi.

Both the outfits could have been ended on a winning side but failing to convert chances into goals were being wasted by both, Kerala Blasters and Mumbai City FC. It was the first goalless draw of this season’s Indian Super League.

Subrata Pal was left on the bench as he just returned from the National duties, Debijit Majumder started in front of goal. Sunil Chhetri, Frederic Piquionne, Andre Moritz, Keegan Pereira and player cum manager Nicolas Anelka all were on bench.

Sonny Norde, Subhash SIngh and Gabriel Fernandes all started as attackers for the Mumbaikars. So many changes left Mumbai fans surprised.

The host too missed star players on bench as Sandhesh Jhingan was not included in the starting line-up.

Rahul Bheke, CK Vineeth, Peter Rampage, Mehtab Hossain all started for the Blasters. Manandeep started up front with Dagnall.

Mumbai City started brightly as compared to Kerala Blasters. Sonny Norde seemed dangerous on the left side as he supported Gabriel Fernandes throughout the match. Inside just five minutes, Gabriel Fernandes latches onto a long ball by Pavel Cmovs but his effort went just above the bar.

The Mumbaikars continued with their early pressure and called Kerala keeper Stephen Bywater into action in the 12th minute. Subash Singh tried guiding in a Norde free-kick into the Kerala goal but Bywater was positioned perfectly to thwart out the danger.

Minutes later, Pulga’s long ball in from the right wing travelled awkwardly on goal and had to be tipped over by the Mumbai City FC’s goalkeeper, Debijit Majumdar, Mohun Bagan’s attacker Sony Norde was lively throughout the half on the left flank, and was giving the hosts all sorts of trouble.

The Haitian’s pace and strength made life difficult for Kerala defenders Rahul Bheke and Gurwinder Singh. His thundering shot in the 38th minute could have easily found the back of the net had it been a yard to the right or left of Bywater.

It was Norde once again who had the last shot of the first half which saw both teams heading in at the break all square.

Kerala Blaster’s manager Peter Taylor replaced Manandeep Singh with Ishfaq Ahmed while Mumbai City FC’s marquee player cum coach Nicolas Anelka bought on Ashutosh Mehta and Selim Benachour for Aitor Fernandez Lopez and Thangjam Singh.

Subhash Singh came close to scoring for Mumbai City FC on 54th minute. The striker produced some tidy footwork and tested Kerala’s keeper with the effort that followed.

Substitute Sanchez Watt, who came on in the 72nd minute for Kerala Blasters, had their best opportunity ten minutes after his introduction. The Englishman should have put his side in front, a heavy touch allowed Mumbai’s keeper to close him down and kill the attack.

Mumbai substitute Frederic Piquionne came closest to scoring two minutes later when his shot thudded against the Kerala goalpost. Both side’s substitutions were starting to leave their mark on the game as fresh legs were clearly making their presence felt in the sweltering heat of Kerala.

Mumbai City FC should have won a penalty in the final minute of the game when Gurwinder Singh barged into the back of Frederic Piquionne who was trying to get on the end of a cross. Mumbai City were unfortunate that the referee

For his impressive performance, Mumbai City FC’s Subhash Singh was named “Hero of the Match” award.

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