Just 11 minutes made all the difference. Mumbai City FC toyed with Kerala Blasters FC in the first half and staved off a strong fightback in the next to finish with a 2-0 victory in the 2020-21 Indian Super League at Bambolim's GMC Stadium on Saturday.
Mumbai striker Adam le Fondre scored off a penalty in the third minute and midfielder Hugo Boumous added one more eight minutes later as the Blasters paid the price for poor defending. The victory carried Mumbai to the top of the 11-team table with 19 points, while Blasters stayed ninth with six.
MCFC was a class apart. Despite having a 12-day break, Sergio Lobera's men looked like they had lost none of their touch. They moved up with quick, crisp passes and the Blasters' defence was frequently in trouble.
MATCH BLOG |
One such desperate move saw KBFC concede a penalty soon after the start. Defender Costa Nhamoinesu brought down Boumous and Le Fondre was right on target.
A few minutes later, Ahmed Jahouh, with a long 75-metre free-kick from inside his own box, put the ball in the path of Boumous and the midfielder smartly foxed the goalkeeper Albino Gomes with a diagonal shot that went into the far corner. The defenders were slow to react and paid the penalty.
Mumbai had Blasters at its mercy for the rest of the opening half but failed to add more goals. Meanwhile, Blasters' Lalthathanga Khawlring messed up a good chance as well, failing to connect properly.
Kibu Vicuna's team regrouped well after the break. Sahal Abdul Samad played a lively role and the Kochi-based side came close to finding the net a few times but Sahal and Vincente Gomez's attempts were a bit unlucky. The Mumbai goalkeeper Amrinder Singh also did a good job.
Meanwhile, the Blasters goalkeeper Gomes saved a Boumous penalty around the 70th minute to add to his growing reputation.
THE RESULT: Mumbai City FC [Adam le Fondre 3' (P), Hugo Boumous 11'] beat Kerala Blasters FC 0.
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