Mumbai FC suffers their first home defeat in more than a year

by Balbir Singh May 2, 2016

On Sunday evening, 1 May 2016, Mumbai FC contested against Sporting Club de Goa in the Hero Federation Cup 2016 opening match at Cooperage, Mumbai. A 91st minute goal from Sumeet Passi proved enough for Sporting de Goa to take an away goal into the second-leg, leaving Mumbai FC on the brink of an exit.

The home-side seemed set to make most of the home advantage count with the early exchanges in and around the Sporting Goa’s final-third area. But it was the visitors who had the first real chance to have a site at goal 5 minutes into the game; a Nicholas Fernandes cross down the left-flank was met by Densill Theobald inside the 18 yard area, but the latter’s mistimed effort left Sporting Goa is dismay with their finest opportunity of the first-half going wide of the right-hand post.

The two sides failed to produce noticeable goal-scoring opportunities for a majority of the first-half, finding no time and space in the final-third areas. With much of the game played I’m the midfield, a large proportion of the chances in the first-45 minutes of play came through set pieces or long-ball down the vacant flanks.

Sporting Goa came agonizingly close to an opener 6 minutes before half-time via Rowllin Borges’ free-kick from outside the 18-yard-box, but Kunal Sawant reacted in-time to apply a finger-tip save to avoid the Sporting Goa number 23.

Mumbai F.C. replied with a similar chance from a Steven Dias free-kick, which was convincingly parried-away by Arimdam Bhattacharya in the visitor’s goal. The first-half displayed a lack luster of intent and commitment from the two attacking sets on the field, who failed to match their on-paper expectations with neither side committing to take-on the other and invite pressure.

Mumbai F.C. began and concluded the remaining half of the game in similar fashion – time on the ball, but no real pressure created with it, which ultimately cost the home team with a defeat, and a tougher away-leg in three days’ time.

The flow of the game didn’t create any potential chance of an opening goal, but only added frustration in the two camps. Mumbai F.C. produced a better performance as the game matured into its final stages, where the hosts came closest, when a Clifford Miranda cross met a Steven Dias first-time hit volley, equally matched by a match-winning stop by Arindam Bhattacharya; Eric Brown followed-up and was denied again by the stretching Sporting Goa goalkeeper.

As the match was about to end in stalemate, a darting run in the 91st from second-half substitute Victorino Fernandes was met an onrushing Sumeet Passi, who put his header into the goal to give his side a 1-0 lead and a precious away-goal to take into the second-leg.