"I know he scored against us tonight but Vikram Partap is a rock of a lad" - Bengaluru FC's Gurpreet Singh Sandhu

Bengaluru FC goalkeeper Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has heaped praise on Mumbai City FC forward Vikram Partap Singh, who scored a brace in his side's 2-0 victory over the Blues at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday, February 18.

The custodian took to his official X handle and posted:

"Tonight’s result is a tough pill to swallow given the chances we had. We take it on the chin and move on, big thank you to the Travelling Blues for being there as always. I know he scored against us tonight but @VikramPartap06 is a rock of a lad"

An emotional Vikram Partap dedicated his goals to his father, who passed away recently. The 22-year-old broke the deadlock by scoring in the 42nd minute before doubling his tally with a 58th-minute strike, thereby helping Mumbai City FC grab three crucial points.

Having joined the Islanders in October 2020 from the Indian Arrows, the Chandigarh-based player has so far featured in 82 matches for Mumbai City, registering 11 goals and three assists.

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Mumbai City FC are well and truly in the race to successfully defend their crown

With the victory on Sunday, Mumbai City FC have climbed to the fourth spot in the 2023-24 ISL standings with 28 points from 14 matches.

Despite beginning the second half of the season with a 3-2 defeat against Jamshedpur FC at home, Mumbai City FC have bounced back strongly by registering wins in the next two matches against East Bengal FC and Bengaluru FC).

They are currently three points behind league leaders Odisha FC, who have played 15 matches so far. Petr Kratky's men will next face Chennaiyin FC at the Marina Arena on Friday, February 23.

With eight more matches to be played, the defending League Shield Winners will be hoping to bag as many points as possible from the remaining fixtures to successfully defend their title and replicate last season's heroics.