ISL: Mumbai City FC 0-2 Jamshedpur FC – Talking Points

by Siddharth Yadav October 4, 2018

After a dreadful season last time around, a new-look Mumbai City FC hosted Jamshedpur FC in their opening game of Hero Indian Super League (ISL) 2018-19 campaign at the Mumbai Football Arena, yesterday evening. In what turned out to be a shaky display, Jorge Costa’s side suffered a 2-0 defeat at the hands of Jamshedpur FC who made the most of their chances.

Mario Arques’ strike in the 28th minute and Substitute Pablo Morgado’s injury-time goal proved enough for Cesar Fernando’s side to claim all three points and continue their fine head-to-head record against the Islanders. Here are some of the talking points from an entertaining match:

1. Mumbai City FC’s first-half approach

The Islanders had a terrific pre-season in Thailand, winning four games and drawing once. Jorge Costa’s ‘direct’ approach helped them to bang sixteen goals in six games which is quite a decent outcome considering an overhaul of Mumbai City FC. Although against Jamshedpur FC, The Islanders struggled to keep up with the tempo, especially in the first-half.

Mumbai City FC rarely moved the ball forward and kept the majority of the ball possession in their own defensive third. Defender Lucian Goian and Marko Klisura kept the possession but struggled to move up the field due to Jamshedpur FC’s pressing. It was only after Mario Arques’ goal when Mumbai City FC started to show some intent. It might have been a different story had the Islanders approached the game in the same way as they did after conceding.

2. Jamshedpur’s pressing did the trick

First-half was all about midfielders Jerry Mawhmingthanga and Carlos Calvo. The duo pressed Mumbai City’s backline which forced them to give away the ball cheaply in a dangerous position. Ironically, it was Jerry and Calvo who combined and switched the play to set up Mario Arques at the far post in the 28th minute. Jerry was later adjudged as the Man of the Match.

3. José Luis Espinosa Arroyo (Tiri) kept Mumbai City’s attack at bay

Once again, Spanish defender Tiri proved why he is one of Indian Super Leagues’ best defender. The strong and sturdy centre-back kept Mumbai City’s attack at bay for the majority of the match. Mumbai City’s forwards Modou Sougou and Rafael Bastos were taken care of throughout the game.

Also, Tiri made a total of 12 clearances with a passing accuracy of 82%, a staggering display without a doubt. Especially, in the last stages of the match, Tiri alongside Bikram Jairu and Yumnam Raju stood like a wall to avoid leaking any goals under a huge pressure from Mumbai City’s attack.