Mumbai (Maharashtra) [India], March 1 : Mumbai City FC drew 2-2 against Mohun Bagan Super Giant at the Mumbai Football Arena in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 on Saturday.
The Islanders moved to 33 points from 22 games as a consequence of this comeback and are now one point away from qualifying for the playoffs.
There were a spate of chances created in the opening half hour by the Mariners, with players from Jamie Maclaren to Deepak Tangri taking the onus in the final third to discover openings past the Mumbai City FC defence.
The Islanders whisked past a couple of close calls before Maclaren provided another testament of his finishing instinct with a precise and powerful finish with his right foot into the bottom left corner from the centre of the box. The forward lapped upon a loose ball and dispatched it past a crowded home side defensive third to bag the breakthrough in the 32nd minute.
The visitors kept probing the Islanders in a similar way as the might of their offensive strength came together to function cohesively and push Petr Kratky's men further behind on the field.
Mumbai City FC arguably missed the composed presence of Mehtab Singh at the heart of the backline as Dimitrios Petratos made them pay for the lack of organisation with a stunning strike from inside the 18-yard area with his right foot into the centre of the net to double the lead in the 41st minute.
Mohun Bagan Super Giant disrupted the neat rhythm through which the Islanders often build up their offensive endeavours, and their clinical finishing ensured that they headed into the break with a two-goal advantage.
To their credit, Mumbai City FC were successful in regaining their footing in the opening phase of the second half. Brandon Fernandes used his creative acumen to find pockets of space from where he could trouble the Mariners' backline and Liston Colaco, tracking back for defensive duties, conceded a corner in the 57th minute.
Brandon took the kick, and Hmingthanmawia Ralte's right-footed effort from the right side of the box was blocked in time by the Mohun Bagan Super Giant defence. However, indecisive clearance led to Jon Toral getting the ball at very close range in the 57th minute to nudge it into the bottom left corner and cut the deficit to one goal.
The strike provided a spark to the Mumbai City FC unit as they began producing a flurry of chances soon afterwards. Bipin Singh broke into the Mariners' half and served Yoell van Nieff a delivery at the edge of the box, which the midfielder shot firmly only for it to be saved at the top centre of the goal by Vishal Kaith in the 62nd minute.
In some ways, Mumbai City FC embraced the Mohun Bagan Super Giant offensive strategy in the second half. There was a missing sense of cohesiveness in the attacking gameplay, by piling numbers ahead, capitalising on a disarrayed defence, and some efficient finishing ensured that they got something out of the encounter.
Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) graduate Nathan Rodrigues, positioned deep inside the six-yard box, similarly headed a second ball into the middle of the net in the 89th minute to eventually eke out a draw.
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