Mumbai City clinches ISL League Winners Shield with victory over Goa

MARGAO: Mumbai City FC faced a brief challenge from FC Goa at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium here on Saturday, but overcame it with a goal streak to sum up a remarkable Indian Super League season and seal its second ISL League Winners Shield with a 5-3 victory.

In the process, Mumbai City (53) broke Goa’s record of 51 goals in an ISL season with at least four matches left in the bank. In the evening match, Goa was determined not to make MCFC’s title charge easy, trying to beat it with its own attacking method. The host found success with its approach as early as the fifth minute.

A long free-kick found its way to Noah Sadaoui, who danced past three defenders and composed himself to put the home team ahead. But, the League leader was not quiet for long as the visitor was gifted a free-kick just outside the box in a central position in the 18th minute. Greg Stewart stepped up and hit a powerful left-footed shot to Dheeraj Singh’s near post, beating his outstretched right hand.

Both teams continued to push forward and looked shaky in defence, and in a four-minute period before the break, the match exploded into life. In the 40th minute, Jorge Pereyra Diaz was found with a good low delivery from Lallianzuala Chhangte on the right and the Argentine hooked the ball from the floor to put the ‘Islanders’ in front.

The guest’s joy was short-lived as Goa caught it out with a long ball again. Sadaoui turned creator, finding Brandon Fernandes’s run with a lob over the defence to put him one-on-one with MCFC goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa. Brandon made no mistake with his first touch and the score was level in the 42nd minute.

But, Stewart was on hand again to put Mumbai City in front with his second free-kick of the match, this one a more gentle curling effort that bounced off the post and into the goal.

In the second half, MCFC tightened up to nullify Goa, forcing the home side to take risks going forward, which helped Chhangte, in particular, to come into the contest. In the 70th minute, the winger found space for a cross that was handled in the box by Goa centre-back Anwar Ali. He stepped up to take the penalty, got to double-figures in the ISL season and put the match beyond Goa.

In the 77th minute, Mourtada Fall headed the ball from a corner into fellow substitute Vikram Pratap Singh’s path in front of the goal, and the latter flicked it in to make it 5-2. Against the run of play, Brison Fernandes found the back of the net from Alvaro Vazquez’s pull back, with the show stopping with that eighth goal.

RESULT: FC Goa 3 (N Sadaoui 5, Brandon 42, Brison 84) lost to Mumbai City FC 5 (G Stewart 18 & 44, JP Diaz 40, L Chhangte 71(P), Vikram 77)