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Mumbai City FC returned to winning ways against Chennaiyin FC at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Thursday, December 28. Goals from Lallianzuala Chhangte, Vikram Pratap Singh, and Gurkirat Singh ensured a pristine 3-0 scoreline for the hosts.
The win moved Mumbai City FC up to the third spot in the table with 22 points in 11 games, above Odisha FC, who have 21 points in as many games. Chennaiyin FC, on the other hand, stay rooted to the sixth position, increasing a stark gap between the top and the bottom five. Chennaiyin have 12 points from 12 games while Mohun Bagan are placed just one spot higher and have seven more points.
The Islanders should've arguably taken the lead in the first half against Chennaiyin FC. Vikram Pratap Singh fell in the box and the referee pointed to the spot in the 36th minute. However, Chhangte blasted the penalty to the crossbar, and the two sides went into the break with a 0-0 scoreline.
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Chhangte's moment of redemption came seven minutes into the second half. An attempt from former Chennaiyin FC man Abdenasser El Khayati deflected off an opposition defender and came to the 26-year-old. The right winger cut inside and smashed the ball into the far corner with panache.
Vikram Pratap Singh doubled Mumbai City FC's lead in the 80th minute with a coolly taken penalty. Debjit Majumdar dived the right way but Singh's shot had too much venom and height to be stopped.
Gurkirat Singh's 90th-minute goal became the icing on Mumbai's cake as all three goals were scored by Indians. Lalengmawia Ralte ran towards the box and passed it to Gurkirat on his left. The young striker took a step to his left and fired the ball into the bottom corner, past the outstretched hands of Majumdar.
The win will give Mumbai City FC a lot of confidence, as they were without Greg Stewart, arguably their most important forward. New coach Petr Kratky will also trust his young Indians more in the coming games, with the Super Cup round the corner.
For Chennaiyin FC and Owen Coyle however, the misery continues. They have now succumbed to consecutive defeats after the 1-0 loss to Punjab FC 10 days ago.
The two teams will clash again in the Kalinga Super Cup in Bhubaneshwar on January 21.
