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Reigning champions Mumbai City FC rallied to a crucial 1-0 victory over the bottom-placed SC East Bengal side in the Indian Super League on Tuesday. The victory gave the Islanders a major boost in securing a top-four spot.
Bipin Singh's 51st minute goal was the difference maker between the two sides.
After the game, MCFC head coach Des Buckingham was asked about the importance of the victory. The English gaffer said:
"It’s an important one, you know, that puts us now fourth on the table with three games to go. I'm just pleased with the performance as we grew into it the second half. I thought that SC East Bengal they've played some fantastic football special for the last three games under Mario, they were always going to be a tough team to beat. But I'm glad that we stuck through to what we were trying to do, and we grew into the game to get the result."
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Mumbai City FC are now fourth in the ISL points table, with 28 points from 17 games. Hunting them down is Kerala Blasters FC with a point less but an extra game in hand.
Buckingham gave his take on the race for a spot in the semi-finals. The Mumbai City FC gaffer said:
"We spoke about building momentum going into the final part of the season. Like I said, we've won three out of four now. With three to go and with fourth spot on the table, we still play those teams in around us. So it's down to us now to see where we finish. We’ll be trying to finish as high as we can with as many points as we can."
Click here to view the ISL news.
"We didn't deserve to lose the match" - SC East Bengal boss Mario Rivera after loss against Mumbai City FC
Meanwhile, SC East Bengal remain glued to the bottom-spot with just two games left in their season. The Red & Gold Brigade have looked proactive under Mario Rivera but haven't been able to win games.
Even tonight, SCEB had multiple chances to bag a goal against Mumbai City FCbut failed to convert any of them. Head coach Rivera, however, felt his side didn't deserve to lose the game.
"When you lose only by one goal, it's very difficult for the result to be more closer. But for me, yes, because we didn't deserve to lose the match. We had many opportunities to score. I think one or two penalties," the Spaniard said.
The Torchbearers next face NorthEast United FC and a victory against them could pull SC East Bengal out of the bottom spot.
