Mumbai City FC on Sunday continued their impressive start to the Indian Super League (ISL) season 7 with a 2-0 victory over Odisha FC here at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim.
A penalty from Batholomew Ogbeche (30') and a header from Rowllin Borges (45') gave Sergio Lobera's men their third win in four games and their first-win ever over Odisha in the league.
The win sent them top of the table, level on points with ATK Mohun Bagan, albeit with a better goal difference. For Odisha FC, this was their third loss in four games and only point-less SC East Bengal lies below Stuart Baxter's side.
Mumbai started the game spraying around passes and enjoying most of the ball possession. But it was Odisha who enjoyed the first real chance of the match, in the fourth minute, when Diego Mauricio's freekick clipped the top of the crossbar. But that was about as good as it got for Odisha in the first half.
Mumbai's first clear-cut opportunity came in the 18th minute when Ahmed Jahouh found Cy Goddard down the right. Goddard only had keeper Kamaljit Singh to beat but his shot went over the bar. However, twelve minutes later, Mumbai had their goal. Vignesh Dakshina Murthy's attempted cross from the edge of the box struck Shubham Sarangi's hand and the referee promptly pointed to the spot.
Ogbeche stepped up and fired a low shot to the left, which a diving Kamaljit could not get his fingers to. It was the third penalty Odisha had conceded this season and the second mistake that Sarangi had committed, which had led to a goal.
Hugo Boumous missed a great chance to score in the 43rd minute, firing wide from Bipin Singh's pass. But Mumbai had their second a couple of minutes later. Bipin, again, fired in a great cross into the box which Borges headed past Kumar.
Mumbai had ended the first period with 62 percent of the possession and the second half saw more of the same. Odisha managed to create precious little save a couple of freekicks and a few corners. In the end, it turned out to be a comfortable win for Mumbai.
( With inputs from ANI )
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