East Bengal go down to Mumbai City FC as they suffer their second consecutive defeat| ISL 2023-24

East Bengal lost to Mumbai City FC, 1-0, in their 13th game of the ISL 2023-24 at the VYBK in Kolkata today (February 13). It was the Islanders' 13th game of the season too.

The Super Cup Champions East Bengal came into the game after facing defeat in their previous game against NorthEast United FC. Their opponents Mumbai City FC lost their previous game to Jamshedpur FC.

Both teams wanted to return to winning ways. East Bengal came into the game, being placed 10th in the points table while Mumbai City FC were fifth.

A win for East Bengal would have taken them to eighth in the points table with 15 points. However, the Islanders won and now sit in fourth place with 25 points. Both sides still have two games in hand in comparison to the table toppers Odisha FC.

East Bengal came into the game with a plethora of injuries and suspensions. They missed the services of Saul Crespo and Jose Pardo due to injuries, and their captain Cleiton Silva due to suspension. The likes of Victor Vasquez and Nandhakumar Sekar couldn't start the game due to fitness issues.

Carles Cuadrat started the game with just two foreigners and nine Indians. Mumbai City FC fielded their quota of four foreigners but missed the services of Jorge Pererya Diaz due to suspension.

The game started in the way it was expected to, given the way the sides lined up. The Islanders started the match with high intensity and kept pressuring the Red and Gold Brigade's defense.

After some initial chances went astray for Mumbai City FC, Iker Guarrotxena scored for the Islanders in the 24th minute. Iker latched onto an Alberto Noguera pass beating the offside trap and slotted the ball into the net.

With the lead secured, Mumbai City FC showcased more free-flowing football, while their opponents kept sitting deep and tried to soak in the pressure. East Bengal FC did get a good chance but Felicio Brown tried to go alone by ignoring a free Naorem Mahesh Singh and wasted the opportunity.

The scoreboard at halftime read 1-0 in favor of the visitors. The hosts made some changes at the start of the second half in the hope of changing the result.

The second half saw the hosts trying hard to score the equalizer, while the visitors tried not to commit silly mistakes and concede a goal. With the introduction of the likes of Vishnu, Nandhakumar, and Victor Vasquez, East Bengal looked potent in attack and did manage to create some chances but failed to score.

Mumbai City FC had their own share of chances but some good goalkeeping by Prabshukan Gill stopped the Islanders from increasing their lead.

The scoreboard at full-time read 1-0 in favor of the visitors.

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East Bengal suffered their second consecutive defeat in two games due to lack of bench strength

East Bengal suffered due to proper bench strength (Image courtesy: ISL Media)

East Bengal were on an 11-game unbeaten run and also managed to win the Super Cup in between those games before losing to NorthEast United FC. East Bengal faced serious issues in the derby, with the injury to Saul Crespo. In their previous game, they could field just three foreigners and suffered in that game too, with Jose Pardo picking up an injury.

Against Mumbai, Carles Cuadrat could only field two foreigners in the playing eleven and also had to rest top Indian players like Nandhakumar and Lalchungnunga. The lack of bench strength showed in the Red and Gold Brigade's lineup today.

The lack of squad depth is something East Bengal should have worked on during the winter transfer window but failed to do so, and it is now hampering their aspirations in the Indian Super League.

Mumbai City FC return to winning ways after two defeats

Mumbai City FC managed to hold onto their nerves today (Image courtesy: ISL Media)

Mumbai City FC have not had a great season this year compared to what they did last year. They saw their head coach Des Buckingham leave the side midway and had their new coach Petr Kratky take over.

After suffering a defeat in the semifinals of the Super Cup to Odisha FC, the Islanders suffered a defeat against Jamshedpur FC in their previous game in the ISL. On Tuesday, they came into the game with the motive of securing three points and they will be happy to secure them.