Mumbai City FC vs Hyderabad FC: Clash of Goliaths end in a stalemate amid referee-induced drama

In a match that was posed to be the title decider, Mumbai City FC and Hyderabad FC, in an anti-climatic finish, settled for a 1-1 draw at the Mumbai Football Arena on Saturday, February 4.

Enveloped by the 'Clash of Goliaths' narrative, the match was expected to be an enticing encounter, and right from the first whistle, it lived up to the billing. Initially, both sides resorted to a more cautious approach but as the minutes flew by, Hyderabad FC started to execute Manolo Marquez's plan to strangulate the hosts.

Des Buckingham's men found it difficult to build from the back but were too resilient to change their approach. Eventually, their evident attacking quality found gaps in Hyderabad FC's defense to bloom.

After an early booking, Rostyn Griffiths came to his own in the 20th minute to create ample room in the middle of the park with a neat shimmy. The Australian international found Lallianzuala Chhangte down the right flank and the winger expertly combined with Apuia down the byline. But the in-form winger's effort from inside the box was wayward.

But Chhangte didn't let the initial blip dampen his game. A minute later, with a moment of brilliance, the former Chennaiyin FC man slashed open the opposition defense. Chhangte took on a couple of defenders down the right flank before whipping in a cross to find Bipin Singh at the far post. The latter catches the ball with an acrobatic header but his effort strikes Nikhil Poojary's hand on the goal line.

The referee almost immediately pointed towards the spot and Poojary was lucky to just walk away with a yellow card. Mumbai City talisman Jorge Peryera Diaz stepped up to take the penalty and ferociously thumped the ball into the roof of the net to put the league leaders ahead.

What followed was a tedious period for Hyderabad FC looking for a way back into the encounter. But the Nizams lacked the telling ball despite getting into the opposition half on multiple occasions. It seemed like the break would be essential for the intensity of the game to spring up.

However, the referee had some other plans. Hyderabad FC caught the hosts on the break and Sanjeev Stalin was forced to bring down Rohit Danu while the attacker was clearly through on goal.

The referee initially showed the red card to the Mumbai City FC defender. But seemingly after the protests from the home side, he went on to consult with the linesman and astonishingly changed the color to yellow. Replays showed that the initial decision was accurate.

The Islanders let out a sigh of relief while the refereeing standards in the league hit a new low.

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Hyderabad FC deny going down without a fight against Mumbai City FC

Mumbai City FC seemingly stepped out on the pitch in the second half, having regrouped and redirected their focus back to the game after the chaos in the dying moments of the first 45 minutes.

Meanwhile, the defending champions were still out of depth in the final third. However, all of that changed in the 65th minute, when out of the blue the Nizams conjured up the precision to return a punch.

Mohammad Yasir set off on a marauding run down the right flank and spotted Hitesh Sharma making a sneaky inside run. The winger laid off the ball for the young midfielder and Hitesh, unfazed by the occasion, slotted the ball into the net past on-rushing Phurba Lachenpa. Mumbai City's lead was wiped off in the blink of an eye.

The creases on Des Buckingham's forehead were growingly appearing with every passing second. The English tactician finally decided to bring on his trusted soldier Greg Stewart in the 78th minute. Manolo Marquez too opted for wholesale changes as the game rolled into the final 10 minutes.

Minutes after coming on, Stewart was right amidst the thick of things as the almost volleyed home the winner if not for an acrobatic save from Hyderabad FC custodian Gurmeet Singh.

As the referee blew the final whistle, the two top sides shook hands and settled for a point each. Mumbai City now have a hand on the ISL 2022-23 League Shield already. For Hyderabad FC, their hopes of finishing atop the league standings are being steadily squished.