Delhi Dynamos fired in four goals in the last 20 minutes to end Mumbai City FC’s hopes of making it to the Indian Super League (ISL) play-offs as it routed the visitor 5-1 in New Delhi on Tuesday.
Nandhakumar Sekar (5’), Matias Mirabaje (73’), Manuel Arana (81’), Kalu Uche (84’) and Lallianzuala Chhangte (90+1’) scored for the home side while Everton Santos (49’) got the sole goal for Mumbai on the night as its playoff hopes was dealt a cruel end.
With this defeat Mumbai is seventh with 23 points from 17 matches and with just one match left to be played, it can reach a maximum of 26 points.
Fourth-placed Jamshedpur FC already has 26 points, and since it plays FC Goa (24 points) in its last league match, one of the team will have more points than Mumbai.
This was Delhi’s second successive victory after the incredible 4-3 comeback against defending champion ATK and it now has remained unbeaten in its last five matches, winning three of them.
Had Delhi started in a similar fashion, it would have been today challenging for a place in the playoffs. Instead, it is now placed eighth with 18 points from 17 matches and can at best finish in the same position.
Mumbai’s loss also means Chennaiyin FC has now become the third team to qualify for the semifinals with 29 points.
Delhi took the lead in the fifth minute through Nandhakumar Sekar and led 1-0 at the breather. In the second session, Everton Santos equalised for Mumbai City in the 49th minute but what followed next was incredible. Matias Mirabaje made it 2-1 in the 74th minute, then saw teammate Pratik Chowdhary get sent off for a double booking in the 77th minute.
Despite having a player sent off, Delhi increased its lead through Manuel Arana’s penalty in the 81st minute and also saw Mumbai midfielder Sahil Tavora being sent off for the tackle that led to the penalty. With both teams reduced to 10 men, Delhi found its touch again and hammered two late goals through substitutes Kalu Uche (81st minute) and Lallianzuala Chhangte (90th minute).
Delhi is having an incredible run and it proved it has a quality bench strength too. Coach Miguel Angel Portugal made six changes to the team that defeated ATK, it started strongly and moved ahead in the fifth minute through Nandhakumar Sekar, who was set beautifully inside the box by Seityasen Singh.
Mumbai capitalised on a poor collection from the Delhi goalkeeper as Santos got the equaliser in the second session. It was in a strong position to surge ahead as Balwant Singh and substitute Leo Costa went incredibly close but once Mirabaje made it 2-1 with a thunderous strike from outside the box, there was no stopping Delhi Dynamos.
Arana won and converted a penalty in the 80th minute and then Kalu Uche and Lallianzuala Chhangte came off the bench to score perfect team goals as Delhi celebrated its most satisfying victory of the campaign.
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