The Gaurs, powered by strikes by Boris Singh and Brandon Fernandes, looked like they would be sealing off a key win in this last-four match as they maintained a comfortable 2-0 lead until the 90th minute of the match. However, it was a game where the in-form stars of both teams came to the fore and delivered tangible outputs to produce one of the most iconic playoffs matches in the ISL.

Boris and Brandon have been the key men for FC Goa upfront lately, with the latter in-fact now having netted in three consecutive league matches. However, the Islanders pulled off the absolute unthinkable, scoring thrice in the final six-odd minutes of the match to grab a hold of this crucial victory, thanks to a brace by Lallianzuala Chhangte accompanied by a goal by Vikram Partap Singh.

Boris opened the floodgates in the 16th minute by tapping in a straightforward square delivery by attacking midfielder Mohammed Yasir. Receiving a long ball on the left flank, Yasir sprinted into the box and sliced in a low cross that was converted into a goal with ease by Boris. Earlier, Mumbai City FC defender Akash Mishra picked up a knock and had to be replaced with Valpuia in the 13th minute of the match.

Chances came far and few in between for the Islanders, with Goa keeping their backline neatly arranged. Manolo Marquez & Co. struck the perfect balance of deft teamwork and individual brilliance upfront, often surprising the Mumbai City FC backline with a smart mix of the two. Their second goal in the 56th minute was a product of the latter, with Brandon breaking free with the ball and depositing the ball into the top corner of the net for the second game running.

It appeared that the result had been cast over the game even before the final whistle had blown, as the Gaurs professionally managed proceedings until the 90th minute mark. But owing to the indomitable spirit of the Islanders, they were starved of a victory in a clash that they held the upper hand over for the major chunk of the game.

Jayesh Rane had a key role to play in both of Chhangte’s goals, setting them up with his slick deliveries amidst close spaces inside the FC Goa box. The first one came amidst a quick break where Chhangte picked the ball from the left side of the six yard box to slide it into the bottom right corner after a precise through ball from Rane. Vikram’s strike two minutes later was through a rebound, with the attacker perfectly placed on the run to collect and hammer the ball in to equalise the scores. Finally, Chhangte capped off the game a few minutes later with a goal fairly identical to his first one of the night. Just like the previous one, it came off a through ball by Rane, but Chhangte was positioned at the centre of the box this time and showed razor sharp accuracy to net the winner and bring curtains down to this enthralling encounter.

Key Performer of the Match

Lallianzuala Chhangte (Mumbai City FC)

Chhangte completed 23 out of his 27 attempted passes tonight. He won two fouls, tackled twice, made one interception, created three goal-scoring chances, and bagged this brilliant brace to bolster Mumbai City FC to the win.

What’s next for both teams?

FC Goa and Mumbai City FC will now head into the second leg of this semi-final fixture on April 29 at the Mumbai Football Arena.

Brief Scores

Mumbai City FC 3 (Lallianzuala Chhangte 90’ 90+6’, Vikram Partap Singh 90+1’) – 2 FC Goa (Boris Singh 16’, Brandon Fernandes 56’)

Stat Pack

Courtesy :- ISL Media

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Odisha FC and FC Goa emerged victorious in their knockout matches against Kerala Blasters FC and Chennaiyin FC respectively, securing their places in the ISL 2023-24 semi-finals. The semi-final action kicks off with Mohun Bagan Super Giant facing Odisha FC in Bhubaneswar on 23^rd April. The following day, on 24^th April, Mumbai City FC will clash with FC Goa in the first leg of their semi-final matchup in Goa.

Playoffs Schedule

• 23rd April: Semi-final 1 (First leg) – Odisha FC vs Mohun Bagan Super Giant – (Kalinga Stadium, Bhubaneswar)
• 24th April : Semi-final 2 (First leg) – FC Goa vs Mumbai City FC – (Fatorda Stadium, Goa)
• 28th April : Semi-final 1 (Second leg) – Mohun Bagan Super Giant vs Odisha FC – (Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata)
• 29th April : Semi-final 2 (Second leg) – Mumbai City FC vs FC Goa – (Mumbai Football Arena, Mumbai)
• 04th May: Final – Winner of Semi-final 1 vs Winner of Semi-final 2 (Home of higher ranked team amongst the Finalists)

Courtesy :- ISL Media

Click here to check the Fixture, News and Standing of Indian Super League (ISL).

Click here to check the Fixture, News and Standing of Mumbai Premier league

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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

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