This is Sportstar's ISL 2020-21 blog of the Mumbai City FC vs ATK Mohun Bagan match that was held at the GMC Athletic Stadium on Sunday.
The 2020-21 Indian Super League's double round-robin league stage finally comes to an end after 110 matches in 101 days across three venues in Goa. Eleven teams contested for one title and Mumbai City FC came out on top in the end. The playoffs will begin in four days. Until then, it is good night from us!
MATCH REPORT |
MCFC striker Bartholomew Ogbeche: I'm feeling fantastic. Thanks to the coach for trusting me. All the players in Mumbai City FC trust each other and have absolute faith in each other's match-winning abilities. The tactics were very important tonight. I'm glad that it paid off. A big congratulations to every one in my team, the players, staff and management. They deserve this because they were phenomenal. I'm extremely delighted to start games and be on the scoresheet. But the win and the ISL Shield are the most important in the end.
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MCFC head coach Sergio Lobera: I'm very proud of my players. We had a few difficult situations all through the tournament. But when you come out on top in the end, you have to be happy. We know ATK Mohun Bagan very well. They have a very good squad which doesn't give away spaces on the pitch. We tried something different tonight. We didn't dominate possession from the beginning. But at the same time, we didn't give out loose balls for them to capitalise on. That is the reason for our victory. The ISL Shield is very special.
Post match reaction from both the camps coming up next.....
MATCH HIGHLIGHTS:
Mumbai City, ATK Mohun Bagan, NorthEast United FC and FC Goa are the top-four teams this season. They will fight it out in the playoffs, which will begin on March 5, Friday, and go on till March 13, Saturday.
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On one side of the field, the joyous MCFC players and staff throw manager Sergio Lobera in the air. Meanwhile, at the other end, a dejected ATKMB squad heads back to the locker room.
Mumbai City FC are the 2020-21 ISL League Winners!Captain Amrinder Singh lifts the Shield and the other members from the team join him in the celebrations!!!
AND IT IS FULL-TIME! FINAL SCORE: MUMBAI CITY FC 2 - 0 ATK MOHUN BAGAN!!!
90+3' Some brilliant time-wasting tactics from Mumbai City FC. Adam le Fondre and Bipin Singh take the ball to one corner to frustrate the ATK Mohun Bagan players. They've easily waste over 60 seconds here.
90' Five minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the second half! Bartholomew Ogbeche (MCFC) fouls Javier Hernandez (ATKMB) in midfield and concedes a late free-kick here.
88' GOOD TACKLE! ATK Mohun Bagan's Edu Garcia gets the ball on the left flank. He tries to evade a tackle and release a shot on target. However, Mourtada Fall slides down on time and recovers the ball for Mumbai City FC.
85' SUBSTITUTION! One last throw of the dice by ATKMB head coach Antonio Habas. He brings on Javier Hernandez to replace Marcelinho on the field. His counterpart Sergio Lobera made MCFC's first change a few minutes ago by replacing Pranjal Bhumij with Vikram Pratap Singh.
82' FREE-KICK FOR ATKMB! And the alternation continues. Edu Garcia sends a decent ball into the middle. However, Marcelinho's shot is deflected off for a corner. The MCFC defence clears away the ball easily this time around.
79' FOUL! MCFC full-back Amey Ranawade, who already has a yellow card, commits yet another mistimed tackle. He is very lucky to still be on the field. David Williams is the ATKMB player who was fouled.
76' AND IT IS TIME FOR THE FINAL DRINKS BREAK OF THE MATCH!
74' ANOTHER SET-PIECE FOR ATKMB! Marcelinho is on free-kick duty now. He supplies a good cross into the box. Edu Garcia jumps the highest and connects with a decent header. But the ball goes just over the goal post.
71' FREE-KICK FOR ATKMB! Edu Garcia to take this one. He goes for innovation as he passes the ball to Prabir Das on the right flank. Prabir turns around and crosses it into the middle. But just as Roy Krishna reaches it, the linesman raises his flag for offside.
68' It is the two goals which have separated ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC tonight. However, they've been extremely close when it comes to the possession, passing and attacking stats. Mumbai might just edge this one.
65' FOUL! MCFC's Mourtada Fall pulls down ATKMB's David Williams close to the box. Edu Garcia will take the resultant free-kick. He tries to go for goal directly but can only find the side netting.
62' CLOSE! This was another ATK Mohun Bagan chance. Roy Krishna was trying to get to a through-pass but Mourtada Fall closed him out. Arindam collected the ball in the end. There are appeals for a penalty but the referee doesn't award one.
59' WHAT A SHOT! ATK Mohun Bagan just needed some extra luck here. Prabir Das received the ball, took a decent touch and fired a shot from long. MCFC goalkeeper Amrinder Singh was ball watching as it hit the crossbar and went out of play for a goal-kick.
56' CORNER FOR ATKMB! The cross by Marcelinho from the left falls to substitute Salam Singh, who had replaced Lenny Rodrigues at half-time. However, MCFC winger puts in a tackle on time to concede a throw-in.
53' CLOSE! Adam le Fondre (MCFC) was chasing a ball alongside Carl McHugh (ATKMB). McHugh decided to leave it for his goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharja and almost gave Le Fondre a chance to score here. But the danger is averted.
50' CORNER FOR MCFC! Ahmed Jahouh will take this set-piece for the Islanders as usual. However, his cross to the near post is cleared away with ease by ATKMB defender Pritam Kotal.
47' SUBSTITUTION! ATK Mohun Bagan manager Antonio Habas makes his second change on the night. He brings on Eduardo Garcia to replace Tiri in the middle. An attacking replacement here.
THE SECOND HALF IS UNDERWAY!
If the score stays the same, MCFC will win the ISL League Winners' Shield ahead of ATKMB on head-to-head record. Forty-five minutes to go. Stay tuned!
Goals from Mourtada Fall and Bartholomew Ogbeche give Mumbai City FC a 2-0 lead against ATK Mohun Bagan at the end of the opening 45 minutes.
AND IT IS HALF-TIME! SCORE: MUMBAI CITY FC 2 - 0 ATK MOHUN BAGAN!!!
45+3' WHAT A CHANCE FOR MCFC! Ahmed Jahouh delivers another wonderful cross into the box from a free-kick. Hernan Santana gets to it first and uses a half-scorpion-kick to produce a shot. But his shot misses the target by a whisker.
45' Three minutes of stoppage time to be added on at the end of the first half! Roy Krishna chests down a long ball from midfield. It falls to his ATKMB teammate Marcelinho, who lets one fly with his left foot. MCFC shot-stopper Amrinder Singh watches the ball sail over his head.
42' CORNER FOR MCFC! Ahmed Jahouh sends a cross into the middle. But the ATK Mohun Bagan defence clears the ball away with ease. The Mariners regain possession and begin a counter-attack.
39' GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLL!!!!!!!! BARTHOLOMEW OGBECHE SCORES!!! MUMBAI CITY FC 2 - 0 ATK MOHUN BAGAN!!!!!!!! Hernan Santana took a wonderful free-kick. The ball brushed the crossbar and came back into play. Ogbeche was the first one to react inside the box as he headed the ball past ATKMB goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharja.
37' YELLOW CARD! Pritam Kotal is the first ATK Mohun Bagan player to be booked in today's second match. He brings down Mumbai City FC midfielder Ahmed Jahouh with a silly challenge.
34' The match has been evenly poised at the end of the first half hour. If the game ends 1-0 in favour of MCFC, Sergio Lobera's men will claim the ISL League Winners' Shield. Both managers seem extremely animated on the sidelines.
31' AND IT IS TIME FOR THE FIRST HALF COOLING BREAK NOW!
29' CHANCE FOR MCFC! Pranjal Bhumij has been phenomenal so far. He receives a good pass from Ahmed Jahouh and sprints forward on the right flank. He cuts past an opposition defender and enters the box. But his final shot from a narrow angle misses the target by quite a bit.
27' BOOKING! Another Mumbai City FC player receives a yellow card tonight. This time it is the full-back Amey Ranawade. The referee initially allows ATK Mohun Bagan to play on and then returns to book the player.
24' FREE-KICK FOR MCFC! Bipin Singh wins another set-piece for the Islanders. Ahmed Jahouh will takes this one as well in the absence of the suspended Hugo Boumous. However, the Mariners defence is alert as the danger is averted.
21' FOUL! MCFC has been physically aggressive tonight. Ahmed Jahouh brings down ATKMB forward David Williams now. He writhes in pain. The referee awards Mohun Bagan a free-kick from a decent distance to goal.
19' SUBSTITUTION! Jhingan signals to his bench for a change. ATK Mohun Bagan manager Antonio Habas is forced to bring his international defender in. Prabir Das is the replacement here.
16' INJURY! ATK Mohun Bagan defender Sandesh Jhinghan goes to the ground after a challenge by Pranjal Bhumij. No booking from the referee but the ATKMB medical staff rush into the field to treat their player. He's fine to continue for the time being.
13' YELLOW CARD! This is the first booking of the match. MCFC midfielder Raynier Fernandes goes into the referee's book for a high boot on ATKMB player Pronay Halder.
10' SHOT! Marcelinho receives a loose ball in midfield after a mistake from a Mumbai City player. He moves forward with it and takes a shot from long. But the ball goes way over the crossbar.
7' GOOOOOAAAAAALLLLLLL!!!!!!!!! MOURTADA FALL SCORES!!! MUMBAI CITY FC 1 - 0 ATK MOHUN BAGAN!!!!! Ahmed Jahouh took the free-kick. He sent a great delivery towards the far post. Could Tiri have done better in the middle? He looked to have ducked right in the middle. Mourtada Fall lost his mark and headed the ball across ATKMB keeper Arindam Bhattacharja.
5' SAVE! Early pressure from ATK Mohun Bagan here. Roy Krishna received the ball at the edge of the box. He took a good first touch and tested MCFC custodian Amrinder Singh with a decent shot.
3' FREE-KICK FOR ATKMB! Tiri will take this set-piece from close to the half-line. He sends a cross into the box. Sandesh Jhingan receives it on the right side. However, Bartholomew Ogbeche blocks his attempted delivery towards the middle.
7:30 PM: AND THE MATCH BEGINS!
7:10 PM: In case you missed it, FC Goa joins ATK Mohun Bagan, Mumbai CIty FC and NorthEast United FC as the fourth team to qualify for the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) semifinals with its 0-0 draw against Hyderabad FC at the Fatorda Stadium on Sunday evening.
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6:50 PM: Eleven categories, 11 awards, 36 nominees and one big celebration! The 'Sportstar Aces Awards' are back in 2021 and this time, we are honouring the Giants of the Decade. Vote for your favourite athletes today through the link provided below.
#SportstarGoD | ACES AWARDS 2021 VOTING LINK
6:30 PM: The team lineups are out!
MCFC XI: Amrinder Singh, Amey Ranawade, Mandar Rao Dessai, Mourtada Fall, Bipin Singh, Ahmed Jahouh, Hernan Santana, Raynier Fernandes, Pranjal Bhumij, Bartholomew Ogbeche, Adam Le Fondre.
COACH: Sergio Lobera.
ATKMB XI: Arindam Bhattacharja, Sandesh Jhingan, Pritam Kotal, Tiri, Carl McHugh, Pronay Halder, Lenny Rodrigues, Marcelo Pereira, Manvir Singh, David Williams, Roy Krishna.
COACH: Antonio Habas.
6:10 PM: FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando has had among the most challenging start to life in India. In this episode of The Full Time Show, he speaks to Aashin Prasad about his maiden season in ISL, quarantine and player management, coaching style, contentious refereeing and his takeaways from the season.
5:50 PM: PODCAST - Will it be ATK Mohun Bagan or Mumbai City FC which takes the League Winner's Shield? Which among FC Goa and Hyderabad FC will take the final playoff place? In the latest episode of Sportstar's 'The Full Time Show', N. Sudarshan, Shyam Vaudevan & Aashin Prasad discuss how the top-four is shaping up.
Follow Sportstar's full coverage (Latest news, Interviews, Features, Points table, Quiz, Videos) of ISL 2020-21 .
The seventh edition of the Indian Super League got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.
The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.
MATCH PREVIEW:
Mumbai City FC and ATK Mohun Bagan will eye the top spot when they square off at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim in Sunday’s second game, also the last league fixture of this season. The Islanders took advantage of the Mariners’ 2-2 draw against Hyderabad FC and registered a commanding 6-1 win over Odisha FC in their last match to make Sunday’s tie a crucial one.
Mumbai needs a win to claim the League Winners Shield and qualify for the AFC Champions League group stage. Currently, second, a victory will take Mumbai City FC level with ATK Mohun Bagan but it will move ahead of the latter based on the accumulation of more points against it in the league stage. The Islanders have already beaten the Mariners once this season.
Although Mumbai City FC secured a 6-1 win over bottom-placed Odisha FC, it still has kinks in its backline which can be exploited by ATK Mohun Bagan. Odisha FC scored the first goal of that match before the Islanders ran amok to net six goals and change the complexion of the game. The Islanders have not kept a clean sheet in their last seven matches and will need to be careful against the likes of Roy Krishna and David Williams.
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“It is a game that everyone wants to play. It is going to be an amazing game. We will play to make our dreams come true. We have to be careful, having reached this position. We need to enjoy it because we don't get a lot of such games in our careers. We are very excited. We are going to play against a very good team who have done a good job. We need to give our 100% if we want to win the game,” said Mumbai City FC’s head coach Sergio Lobera ahead of the game.
ATK Mohun Bagan, on the other hand, will be disappointed with its result against Hyderabad FC earlier this week as a win would have sealed the top spot for it. It has been solid in the defensive third with just four goals conceded during its run of five wins before the draw.
However, a positive going into this game will be the improvement of its attacking unit. Led by Roy Krishna, who has 14 goals this season, the side has scored 15 goals during its unbeaten run of six games (5 wins and a draw). During this run that propelled it to the top of the league, the likes of Marcelo Pereira, Williams and Manvir Singh have also chipped in with crucial goals.
“We have to be prepared for winning and not for drawing [which will be enough for them to seal the top spot]. This is a different match, it is like a final, we have to use the experience [of losing in the reverse fixture] for winning. We respect the opponents because we feel that Mumbai City FC have quality players,” said the ATK Mohun Bagan’s head coach Antonio Habas.
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