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Mumbai City FC lost to Bengaluru FC 1-0 in the first leg of the first semi-final of the ISL 2022-23 season in Mumbai on Tuesday.
Mumbai City FC qualified for the semi-finals based on finishing top of the league table and winning the league shield.
Bengaluru FC qualified for the semi-finals after having defeated Kerala Blasters in the knockout tie.
The game today promised to be a mouth-watering clash as Mumbai City FC had recorded an 18-game unbeaten run earlier this season, while Bengaluru FC were yet to taste defeat in 2023.
It was a game that neither team wanted to lose as it would mean going into the second leg at a disadvantage. With the away-goals rule being scrapped, both sides had everything to play for.
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The game started with the hosts Mumbai City FC creating their first chance of the game but Bipin Singh's effort was cleared brilliantly by Prabir Das in the second minute.
Greg Stewart had an attempt at goal, but Gurpreet had no problem clearing it in the 12th minute.
The Islanders kept piling up the pressure on the Blues' goal but failed to convert the chances that came their way.
The scoreboard at halftime read 0-0.
The second half started with both sides trying to score the opening goal of the game. Apuia had a good chance in the 47th minute but hit his shot wide. Bengaluru FC had a half chance in the 51st minute but Roy Krishna's effort failed to trouble Phurba Lachenpa.
Both sides had a couple of chances but failed to make use of the chances that came their way.
Simon Gyason introduced Sunil Chhetri in the 58th minute to replace Siva Narayanan. The change had a huge impact on the game as the Indian skipper scored in the 78th minute.
Naorem Roshan Singh put in a brilliant corner which was headed brilliantly by Sunil Chhetri in the first post to score the opening goal of the game.
The Islanders tried hard to score the equalizer but failed to do so.
At full-time, the scoreboard read 1-0 in favor of the visitors.
With a win today, Bengaluru FC go into the second leg of the semi-finals with a slender advantage.
On that note, let's take a look at the three talking points from today's game
#3 Mumbai City FC are still hungover from the league shield victory
Mumbai City FC scripted history this season as they went on an 18-game-unbeaten run to secure the league shield title. Their unbeaten run, though, came to an end after securing the league shield in their 19th game against yes you guessed it right, Bengaluru FC.
The Blues from Bangalore were the first team to break the unbeaten streak of Mumbai City FC as they handed them their first defeat of the ISL season.
Des Buckingham's side lost their final league game of the season against East Bengal FC. While not much was made out of the defeat as the league shield was already secured.
Today, Mumbai City FC lacked their clinical approach in front of goal and wasted numerous chances.
It looked like the Islanders lacked match sharpness and a small break before the game did more harm than good for the City Football Group-owned side.
#2 Bengaluru FC are a rejuvenated side in 2023
Bengaluru FC are yet to draw or lose a game in 2023. With today’s victory, they made it ten consecutive victories. It was their run of eight consecutive victories that secured their position in the playoffs.
The Blues from Bangalore didn't have a good start to the ISL season as they languished ninth in the table at one point in time.
While qualification for the playoffs looked like a distant dream, their continuous eight-game winning streak in 2023 helped Bengaluru FC secure their goal.
In their previous game, Bengaluru FC managed to eliminate Kerala Blasters amidst a lot of controversies. The Blues, though, were the better team during the course of the game.
Today, the Blues implemented their plans to perfection. They managed to keep their defense steady and always kept their attacking threat in play. They did manage to get on the counter-attack a couple of times and had they finished off their chances, the scoreline could have been bigger in their favor.
#1 Naorem Roshan Singh and Prabir Das are the heroes for Bengaluru FC
Everyone in the ISL knows by now how well Mumbai City FC stretch the game and how they like to use the wings properly. Keeping their wingers Bipin and Chhangte in check has been one of the biggest challenges for every side that has faced Mumbai City FC this season.
Today, both Roshan and Prabir gave an excellent account of themselves and managed to achieve their target of keeping Bipin and Chhangte quiet.
Not only defensively, but Roshan and Prabir also managed to help the side in attack. It was from Roshan's corner that Sunil Chhetri scored the all-important goal.
Prabir's runs and the way he managed to cover the wings were brilliant and that was one of the reasons why he was awarded the man of the match today.
