ISL: Mumbai City downs NorthEast United - Talking Points
Mumbai City FC beat NorthEast United FC 1-0 in an Indian Super League (ISL) match at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday.
Published : Feb 01, 2020 11:18 IST
Home team Mumbai City FC moved above Odisha FC to the fourth spot in the 2019-20 Indian Super League (ISL) standings after beating NorthEast United 1-0 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Friday.
With this loss, NorthEast stays ninth with just 11 points from 13 games and is in a spot of bother, while Mumbai has 23 from 15 outings.
Here are the key talking points from the match:
- DIEGO CARLOS STEPS UP BIG TIME -
The man who scored the winner for Mumbai, Diego Carlos, was without a doubt the best player on the field. He was constantly fouled on the night by players from the opposition, who tried their best to stop him. But, unfortunately for them, the Brazilian forward was the person who made the difference in the end.
Carlos, with his brilliant runs on the left flank, kept troubling Reagan Singh, who received a second yellow card and eventually a red for his tackle on the former. In the 44th minute, Carlos latched on to a poor clearance from NorthEast defender Jose Leudo, evaded Reagan with a turn and fired one past shotstopper Subhasish Roy Chowdhury with his left-foot. This goal of his was enough to guide his side into the top four.
- MUMBAI INTO TOP-FOUR, FOR THE TIME BEING -
Mumbai City has 23 points in 15 clashes now, while Odisha has 21 from the same number of games. Chennaiyin FC, in sixth, has 18 from 13 matches. If the Chennai side wins its two games in hand it will move above Mumbai into the top-four.
MATCH REPORT | Mumbai City moves into top-four with 1-0 win over NorthEast United
Jamshedpur FC with 16 from 13 also has a decent chance to make the playoffs this season. Both Kerala Blasters (14 from 14) and NorthEast United (11 from 13) only have an outside chance to make the last-four. The top three teams, FC Goa, Bengaluru FC and ATK, on the other hand, are better equipped to go through.
- NORTHEAST JUST CAN'T SCORE GOALS -
With this game, NorthEast United hasn't scored in four consecutive games. The Highlanders have managed only nine goals from 13 games this term and four of those had come from Asamoah Gyan, who has been ruled out of the season.
Since Gyan's departure, head coach Robert Jarni has tried out all combinations and permutations up front but none have worked. Foreign recruits Federico Gallego, Simon Lundevall and Andrew Keogh had games to forget. With just five matches remaining, NorthEast's season hangs in the balance, thanks to its misfiring attackers.