Atletico De Kolkata Vs Mumbai City FC

The evening game followed a lovely opening ceremony hosted by bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra.

Fikru Tefera Lemessa (27^th min), Borja Fernandes (69^th) and Arnal Llibert (90+) scored the goals for the hosts with the second and third coming against the run of play. As the match statistics prove, Mumbai City FC had more possession and more attempts on goal but just could not convert them into goals.

With the match being played on the artificial turf of the Salt Lake stadium, Mumbai City FC needed some time to settle down but their custodian Subrata Pal was on the ball from the very first minute and came to the rescue of the team twice in the first 10 minutes.

With Mumbai choosing to play an attacking strategy with a high defence line, it was clear that the goalkeeper would have a major role to play whenever the opposition managed to break the stranglehold and push forward.

Pal was called into action in the seventh minute itself when he left his line early to stop Baljit Sahni from converting a through pass from Luis Garcia. Three minutes later, India international was once again at the right place to block Garcia’s left-footed volley from the six yard box to keep Mumbai City FC in the hunt.

But the 27-year-old stopper failed to stop Fikru Teferra from giving the hosts the lead when he latched on to another through pass from Garcia to chip the ball over the advancing Pal.

The goal, however, did little to dampen the spirit of the Mumbai City FC players as they grew confident as the game progressed and the team earned a couple of free-kicks near the opponent’s citadel, before a twisted ankle forced skipper Syed Rahim Nabi to be substituted in the 39^th minute and forcing coach Peter Reid to re-arrange his troops.

The introduction of Brazilian born Italian midfielder Andre Moritz brought more bite to Mumbai City FC’s attack as they made a couple of threatening moves down the left flank. At this stage the visitors had more shots on goal than their opponents but an act of brilliance from Spaniard Borja Fernandez beat Pal from a long range to make it 2-0 for Atletico de Kolkata in the 69^th minute against the run of play.

Mumbai City FC continued to press forward to find their first goal of the game but Atletico de Kolkata custodian Subashish Roy Choudhary first deflected Cmovs’s long ranger that was deflected off a defender and then kept out a close range header of Manuel Friedrich to keep the hosts in the driver’s seat.

And the injury time goal from Arnal Llibert on the counter ended Mumbai City FC’s hopes of a later turnaround.

Coach Reid looks at positives

Mumbai City FC coach Peter Reid gave full credit to opponents Atletico de Kolkata and said he was confident of his team fighting back next week. “The first one didn’t go our way, but I am hopeful we will turn things around next week. Credit to our opponents for the way they played today, especially Louis Garcia, the way he led them.”

Mumbai City FC goalkeeper Subrata Pal also said that the the atmosphere in the team was quite positive after Sunday’s game, and the team is confident of doing well in the future games.

Result: Atletico de Kolkata 3 (Fikru Tefera Lemessa 27, Borja Fernandes 69 Arnal Llibert 90+) beat Mumbai City FC 0

Hero of the Match: Borja Fernandes; Amul Fit player Award: Denzil Franco; Swift moment of the Match: Fikru Tefera Lemessa; Emerging player of the Match: Subhashish Roy Chowdhury.

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*Syed Rahim Nabi named skipper, Manuel Friedrich to be his deputy

Mumbai, 10^th October 2014: Mumbai City FC embarks on its journey to bring back football glory to maximum city as they launch their quest in the inaugural season of the Hero Indian Super League (HISL) crown with the season opener against Atletico de Kolkata in the mecca of Indian football on Sunday.

The team, co-owned by Bollywood star Ranbir Kapoor and Chartered Accountant Bimal Parekh, had already made a statement of intent when they signed the likes of ex-Arsenal legend and former Sweden skipper Freddie Ljungberg, ex-Borussia Dortmund star and former German international Manuel Friedrich and French international and 2008-09 Premier League golden boot winner Nicolas Anelka. Now under the stewardship of ex-Everton icon Peter Reid, the club is determined to make a winning start to their campaign against one of the contenders for the crown in their home ground.

Commenting on the game, coach Peter Reid said “This is the start of the competition and so it is a massive game. It is a big opportunity to play here and hopefully we will come up with the right result.”

Reid also announced that Syed Rahim Nabi would lead the team in the inaugural edition of the HISL. “From the couple of weeks I have worked with the team, I have found him a natural leader, good communicator and a bubbly character within the dressing room. I think Nabi has great experience and knowledge of the game. Manuel Friedrich would be the vice-captain,” Reid added.

In the run up to the lung opener, Mumbai City FC has had a long pre-season camp to help the foreign and Indian players gel together and understand the strengths and weaknesses of each other. And the team has certainly done a lot of progress on that front, which could be gauged by the performance of the squad in the four friendlies they played so far.

They not only won all their four games, but the co-ordination between the mid-field and strike force would make them the team to beat in the tournament. Mumbai City FC’s Argentine striker Diego Nadaya has already scored two hat-tricks in the friendlies and will be a potent force upfront.

Among the team’s star recruits, Ljungberg might play his part in the match after recovering enough from a niggle he suffered during practice. “Hopefully, Freddie will get to play his part in the game,” Reid said.

The team also has a formidable force among their Indian stars with the country’s best goalkeeper Subrata Pal manning their goal-post and skipper Syed Rahim Nabi and local star Raju Gaikwad standing tall in defence and midfield.

According to the rules of the tournament, five Indian players have to be on the field at any given time and to Mumbai City FC’s benefit, most of their first choice players have first-hand experience of playing in the City of Joy.

Nabi hoped that the team would get good support from the local crowd as some of them have played in the city for a long time. “This is the first game and hence will be massive for all of us. We expect a good support for our team and we should get a positive result,” said Nabi.

Mumbai Cit FC signs Moritz

The team also announced the signing of 28-year-old Andre Moritz to the squad and the attacking midfielder is expected to man the left flank for the team.

The Brazilian born, Italian passport holder played in the second tier English Championship for Bolton Wanderers last season and also has the experience of playing in the Turkish and Brazilian leagues.

For Bolton, Moritz made 27 appearances, scored seven goals and provided three assists.

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Palava, 20th September 2014: Football fever is back with India’s biggest Football extravaganza, the Hero Indian Super League (ISL) beginning on 12th October. In a run up to ISL, the Mumbai City FC team as part of their community outreach program visited Palava, the City of Opportunity.

Promoted by Ranbir Kapoor and Bimal Parekh, the team boasts of international stars and top domestic talent. Ex-Arsenal legend and former captain of the Swedish National team, Freddie Ljungberg, former French National team player and winner of the Premier League Golden Boot 2008-2009, Nicolas Anelka, ex-Borussia Dortmund defender and German National team player, Manuel Friedrich, Argentinean Diego Nadaya and the current Indian National team goalkeeper, Subrata Pal form the nucleus of this star studded team headed by the ex-Everton icon Peter Reid as manager.

The squad spent the entire Saturday at Palava beginning with a special workshop and training session for 60 kids conducted at the state of the art football ground by Assistant Coach, Steve Darby, an ESPN Star Sports pundit and most recently the head coach of Kelantan FA in the Malaysia Super League. The children were thrilled to train and interact with their idols, taking autographs and clicking pictures with the stars.

Following the training, the players spent a relaxed day at Palava with a round of Golf at the serene 9-hole golf course by the river and other recreational sports at Palava.

Steve Darby, Assistant Coach – Mumbai City FC, said: “Kids in Mumbai have tremendous enthusiasm for football, and now at Palava, they have a great football facility where they can hone their skills and achieve excellence. This has been a wonderful opportunity for Mumbai City FC to connect with its fans and we look forward to many more such engaging interactions.”

Shaishav Dharia, Development Director, Palava said: “We are tremendously pleased to host Mumbai City FC at Palava and give young enthusiasts the opportunity to meet and train with the stars. This is another step in our endeavour to not just provide world class sports facilities, but create platforms that enhance skills and create special experiences for our residents.”

About Mumbai City Football Club
Mumbai City Football Club or Mumbai City FC, is Mumbai’s franchise in the inaugural Hero Indian Super League. Bollywood actor and football enthusiast Ranbir Kapoor and chartered accountant Bimal Parekh together own the team. Mumbai’s D.Y Patil Stadium is the team’s home stadium.
The team’s logo is a reflection of a resilient fortress that stands proudly, surrounding the logo that signifies the unrelenting, determined spirit of the city. The seven stars symbolize the islands that form Mumbai. Trains that are the very lifeline of the city ply millions of Mumbaikars across its vast expanse and connect these islands. Each passenger, each citizen of the city is bound together by their love for the place they call home. 20 million citizens, 20 million hearts pulse to a single beat – the heartbeat of Mumbai.

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