Mumbai City FC (MCFC) played out a 1-1 draw with Jamshedpur FC (JFC) in match 13 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Mumbai Football Arena on Saturday.
Lallianzuala Chhangte and Daniel Chima Chukwu scored for Mumbai and Jamshedpur, respectively.
It took Mumbai just eight minutes to score the first goal of the match. Greg Stewart used his quick feet to escape his marker and played a one-two with Jahouh. Looking up, he saw Chhangte in a good position at the centre of the box and squared the ball to him. Despite being under pressure, Chhangte found the top corner with an excellent finish.
The joy did not last long for MCFC and its fans. Just four minutes later, Jamshedpur equalised through Chukwu. Harrison Sawyer used his head to flick the ball to Chukwu from a Wellington long-throw, and the Nigerian made no mistake in finding the net with his head from point-blank range.
With both teams locked in a 1-1 scoreline at the start of the second half, it was the Islanders, who started strongly, with some early pressure on JFC’s goal.
It almost paid off as Chhangte was brought down inside the box by Ricky in the 48th minute. The Mumbai players vociferously demanded a penalty, but the referee waved play on, inviting the wrath of the players and coaching staff.
“I understand how difficult it is to manage a game and I’ve always been supportive of them [referees]. Also, the mandate this year is to let the ball flow more and have fewer interruptions. I’m completely okay with that. But you’ve got to give fouls as fouls. There is a difference between letting the game flow and not giving clear fouls,” said Buckingham on the penalty incident in the post-match press conference.
In the second half, Mumbai substitute Vikram Singh came close to scoring in the 63rd minute when his shot hit the post.
Jorge Pereyra Diaz had a chance to give Mumbai the winner in the dying seconds of the second-half injury-time, but he swung his boot wildly at the ball and ballooned his effort over the goal.
Jamshedpur FC, which is still looking for its first win of the season, kept a disciplined backline, especially in the last quarter of the match when Mumbai was throwing the kitchen sink at the away team. The defensive solidity is all the more impressive as the Jamshedpur was missing the experience of captain Peter Hartley.
“We want to be able to play an aggressive pressing game, a counter-attacking game and a possession-based game. It’s just that you can’t do all of those at the same time. So, we are a work in progress. It is a new dawn for Jamshedpur and we want to build on top of the great work that has already been done,” JFC head coach Adrian Boothroyd said after the match.
Result: Mumbai City FC 1 (Chhangte 8’)- Jamshedpur FC 1 (Chukwu 12’)
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