FC Goa 0-1 Mumbai City FC - Five things we learned | ISL 2020-21

Adam le Fondre's well-taken penalty during stoppage time turned out to be the difference-maker as Mumbai City FC beat FC Goa 1-0 in the sixth match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) at the Fatorda Stadium on Wednesday. The game turned on its head after Redeem Tlang was sent off for a rash tackle on Hernan Santana in the 40th minute.

It was FC Goa who started the game on the front foot as they typically kept the ball moving. The FC Goa front-line decided to put certain Mumbai City players under pressure whenever they had the ball. However, the Gaurs failed to manage an opening despite having the majority of the possession as they lacked creativity from the wings.

Even after Redeem Tlang was sent off, FC Goa managed to maintain the advantage until the 60-minute mark in the game. Thereafter, Mumbai City made use of the tired FC Goa legs to create a flurry of chances. After having just two shots in the first half, Mumbai City had 12 in the next 45 minutes which also included a big miss from Mandar Rao Dessai.

English forward Adam le Fondre set up Mandar in the six-yard box with a precise pass but the experienced Goan player hit it high and wide. This fluffed chance seemed to haunt Mumbai City as FC Goa defended stoutly until the 5th minute of stoppage time.

After CY Goddard showed some trickery to cross the ball to the far post, Bipin Singh's attempt to head the ball across the goal was blocked by Lenny Rodrigues' arm. The referee Rahul Kumar Gupta quickly pointed to the spot with Le Fondre burying the penalty. Although Mumbai managed to eke out a win, manager Sergio Lobera will be aware that there is still a lot of work to do with the side.

---

FC Goa v Mumbai City FC - What we learned

#1 FC Goa press intelligently to limit Mumbai City’s movement

It was expected that both teams will be going to cancel each other out as they play with a similar philosophy. After all, both FC Goa and Mumbai City like to build from the back and keep the ball with themselves. Even their formations were 4-2-3-1.

However, FC Goa went one step ahead by putting pressure on players like Rowllin Borges and Sarthak Golui when they had the ball. Striker Igor Angulo, Alberto Noguera, Len Doungel and Redeem Tlang all worked hard and pressed in unison.

This meant that Mumbai couldn’t string together a lot of successful passes. The Islanders not only failed to hold the ball but also struggled to create an odd chance.

#2 Redeem Tlang’s hostile streak hurt FC Goa

Redeem Tlang received the first red card of his ISL career to put FC Goa in trouble. (Courtesy: ISL)

25-year-old Redeem Tlang has been regarded as a fine talent for the past few seasons but he has also pulled himself back with a tendency to come up with poorly-timed tackles. The Meghalaya native has received as many as nine yellow cards in just 35 matches.

However, Tlang had to be given the marching orders for the first time as he went studs up to Hernan Santana. Having seen the tackle from close range, referee Rahul Kumar Gupta wasn’t one bit hesitant to flash the red card.

Having dominated the majority of the first half, FC Goa couldn’t exert as much pressure on Mumbai after Tlang’s dismissal. After all, FC Goa pressed quite a bit to put pressure on Mumbai when they didn’t have the ball and this wasn’t possible with ten men.

#3 Hugo Boumous fails to make his presence felt once again

Star player Hugo Boumous created very little chances except a powerful shot from outside the box. (Courtesy: ISL)

The price tag can never be ignored while talking about the 2019-20 Hero of the Tournament, Hugo Boumous as Mumbai City activated a release clause worth Rs 1.74 crores. Boumous was off the boil for the initial part of the game against Northeast United while he went on the periphery completely after Ahmed Jahouh received a red card.

The Frenchman was seen missing once again against FC Goa as he came up with frequent mis-passes and lack of vision. He looked off the pace and didn’t link up with the wingers and Adam le Fondre. In fact, Boumous’ passing accuracy hovered just over 50% in the first half. The fact that Boumous wasn’t able to link the midfield and the forward line meant that Adam le Fondre was often seen dropping back to spread passes to the wingers.

#4 Juan Ferrando adjusts well to going a man down

Even though Redeem Tlang was sent off in the 40th minute, Mumbai City failed to take advantage and exert immediately. It was only after the hour-mark that Mumbai grew into the game. Hugo Boumous had a decent spell on the ball and even came up with Mumbai’s first shot on target this season.

FC Goa's Juan Ferrando quickly adjusted and brought on Jorge Ortiz in place of Igor Angulo. After starting with a 4-2-3-1 formation, Ferrando switched to 4-4-1 with Alberto Noguera being their farthest player. Mumbai did get a golden opportunity through Adam le Fondre’s pass but Mandar Rao Dessai stunningly failed to hit the target from close range.

Apart from this, Mumbai didn’t really create clear-cut chances. There were a few decent crosses into the box but the center-back duo of Ivan Gonzalez and James Donachie cleared everything in a safe manner.

#5 Adam le Fondre and CY Goddard work hard to eke out a win for Mumbai City

Prolific striker Adam le Fondre opened his ISL goal-scoring count with a well-taken penalty. (Courtesy: ISL)

After not making a mark in the first 60 minutes, Adam le Fondre and CY Goddard turned out to be the game-changers in the final few minutes. Although Le Fondre didn’t have a lot of touches and passes in the first half, he still worked hard and made it tough for the FC Goa players. However, CY Goddard couldn’t come up with a lot of chances from the right wing.

It all changed around the hour-mark as Le Fondre pressed Mohammad Nawaz into making a fatal mistake. The young goalkeeper almost gave the ball away as Le Fondre closed him down. After that, Le Fondre set up Mandar Rao Dessai with a superb pass only to see the Goan make a mess out of the chance.

On the other hand, CY Goddard found more space on the flank as Saviour Gama became tired in the latter stages of the match. This helped him to come up with a few superb crosses.

Eventually, it was Goddard’s move which set up the goal as the Japanese winger came up with slick footwork before delivering a good cross to Bipin Singh. With Bipin Singh heading the ball onto Lenny Rodrigues’ arm, the referee pointed to the spot. Thereafter, it was only fair that Adam le Fondre found the back of the net to get Mumbai City FC a slender win over FC Goa and cap off a move which was engineered by Goddard.