Mumbai City vs Nassaji Mazandaran, AFC Champions League Highlights: Islanders start ACL campaign with a 0-2 loss

Mumbai City FC suffers a 0-2 loss in its Champions League opener against Nassaji Mazandaran.

Greg Stewart makes a run along the left flank and crosses for Chhangte in the centre. But his header is not strong enough to cause any trouble to the visitors.

Mumbai City tries another counter attack. Bipin crosses from the left to Dias, who sets up Vikram. But the forward shoots off-target.

Mehrdad Abdi and Akash Mishra try to get to the ball at the same time and both get to the ground holding their head. But after medical attention, both get back to their feet.

Chhangte makes a riun along the right flank but loses the ball eventually. But Stewart switches the point of attack, getting to Bipin on the left. He dribbled past an opponent but his final shot is blocked.

Mahmoud Ghaed Rahmati wins the ball in the final third, crosses to Azadi, who slots it in to double the lead for the visitors and celebrates with a Ronaldo celebration.

Chhangte gets another chance to make amends in the next minute. He gets a through ball in the final third. However, he fails to beat the goalkeeper.

Mumbai tries a counter attack with four blue shirts darting into the final third. Stewart crsosses from the left but Chhangte fails to get his feet in control of the ball. He eventally gets to it but fails to shoot on target.

Mumbai City FC continues to find the equaliser with Bipin making a quick overlapping run. However, the Indian winger is caught off-side.

A goal from a quick attack by Ehsan Hosseini sees the Iranian side stay in the driving seat at the half-way mark in this AFC Champions League game.

Chhangte carries the ball in the final. He crosses the ball from the right to the left for Bipin Singh, whose shot whizzes just off-target. What a chance that was for the hosts to equalise.

Mumbai City FC tries to play an overlapping run along the left. But he fails to find a shot as the team from Iran continues to enjoy the slender lead.

Zamehran wins the ball in front of the box, turns and threads a pass to Ehsan Hosseini on his left. the defender runs past Bheke and shoots into the net to give Nassaji Mazandaran the lead.

Chhangte tries to go on a forward attacking mission along the right but Hosseini, who has looked very solid defensively, gets the better of him, to clear the ball away

Mumbai City FC gets a free-kick. And Greg Stewart steps up to take the shot. he has scored from a further spot for Jamshedpur. But this time, he tries a set-piece attempt but Azadi clears the ball out of danger.

Mumbai City tries to start another counter attack. But Bipin’s forward run is stifles again. Second later, Stewart gets the ball, side-steps his marker, turns and shoots. But the ball lands in the gloves of the goalkeeper, after a deflection off a defender.

Mumbai City FC attacks against the run of play with Diaz and Bipin combiing along the left flank. Diaz sets up Bipin for a cross, which is headed out by Hosseini as Nassaji Mazandaran escape another chance to concede.

Nassaji Mazandaran tries to attack from the set-pieces. Its first free-kick, aimed at Rehman, is headed out by Griffiths to give the visitors a corner. Diaz clears the ball sent in from the corner.

Mumbai City, however, continues that build-up, with Akash Mishra making a forward run along the left. He combines with Greg to try and cross into the centre. But he overshoots the ball over the goal.

Griffiths, who has replacesd Mourtada Fall, the former captain of Mumbai City, lears the ball out of his team’s half, with Mazandaran trying to start another attack.

Mumbai City has forced Mazandaran to stay sequesterd in its own half and then MCFC attacks along the right. Pereyra Diaz draws defenders towards him and threads a pass through to Chhangte, who shoots just wide off-target.

It is the hom side that s looking to dominate. Bipin tries a run along the left. He beats his marker but fails to keep the cross on target, ending the development with a goal kick for Mazandaran.

Greg Stewart makes a forward run along the left and tries a cross for Chhangte. Mazandaran’s goalkeeper intercepts the ball before the Indian winger could get to it.

Mumbai City, which became the first Indian club to win a match in the Champions League last season, has started this game on the offensive, with an attack along the left flank. But the visitors stop the attack immediately.

Mumbai City FC starts its Champions League campaign against Nassaji Mazandaran. The hosts start in blue while the Iranian side starts in red.

The players are ready. So are the fans as the teams walk out of the tunnel. Its Champions League time for the ISL Shield winner to start its continental campaign.

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The present infrastructural setup at the Mumbai Football Arena makes the venue ineligible to host AFC Champions League games. Mumbai City FC will thus set up base in Pune for its three ‘home’ games in the group stage of the 2023-24 Champions League.

Mumbai City FC is one sleep away before it kicks off a landmark 2023-24 season. A second consecutive appearance in the prestigious AFC Champions League is upon us as the Islanders kick off their continental campaign against Iran’s FC Nassaji Mazandaran tomorrow at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Balewadi, Pune with action kicking off at 7:30 PM IST.

On the cusp of embarking on yet another historic AFC Champions League campaign, Mumbai City FC Head Coach Des Buckingham and goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa attended a pre-match press conference ahead of their first Group D fixture against the Iranian Hazfi Cup Champions.

Head Coach Des Buckingham, spoke about the Islanders’ previous AFC Champions League campaign highlighting the club’s sentiment around it.

He said, “We were slightly disappointed not to qualify for the next round last season and rather than maybe what the perception was going into the ACL last time. So, to change that narrative afterwards was very positive and I think it really showcased what Indian football can do on this stage.”

The Islanders’ No. 1, Phurba Lachenpa, expressed his thoughts ahead of the game with elation. Phurba said, “We are very excited as a unit, and as a player, you always want to play against the best and play in the best of the tournaments in Asia. So, it’s an exciting and good opportunity for us to showcase what we can do as a team.”