Mumbai City FC vs Bengaluru FC

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That's all from us today! Join us on Saturday as ATK FC play host to FC Goa at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan, Kolkata. That match starts at 1930 IST. Cheers!

Awards

Mumbai City FC collect the Club Award for winning the match this evening. Modou Sougou is given the Limitless Player of the Match Award. Rowllin Borges bags the Winning Pass of the Match Award. Sourav Das takes home the Emerging Player of the Match Award and Rowllin Borges also gets the Hero of the Match Award.

Massive win

The hosts have proved their desire to win. They remain in the running for qualifying for the final four with this 2-0 win over the defending champions, Bengaluru FC. The Islanders do the double over the Blues this season winning both the matches between these sides. The first half saw a misjudgement by Bengaluru FC's keeper, Gurpreet Singh Sandhu on 13 minutes as Modou Sougou scored. It took the hosts only 10 minutes in the second half to score another as Harmanjot Khabra played a short back pass towards his keeper, which Amine Chermiti scored of. That proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the Blues. They threw on all the strikers they had but they couldn't score. Mumbai City FC defended a flurry of the visitors' chances in the end to only win the second game at home. The three points from this match takes them to only two points behind fourth-placed Odisha FC. Bengaluru FC stay in 2nd place but this defeat will hurt them.

Full time!

It's a big win for Mumbai City FC. They win 2-0.

Another sub

This is the final change for the hosts. Bidyananda Singh replaces Mohamed Larbi.

Substitution for Mumbai City FC

A change for the hosts, Modou Sougou, who scored the first goal is replaced by Bipin Singh.

Injury time

Four minutes added to the second 45.

Opening wasted!

Sunil Chhetri lays off the ball to Ashique Kuruniyan on the left flank. Ashique's cross is too close to the keeper and Amrinder Singh clutches the ball.

Substitution for the hosts

Amine Chermiti is replaced by Raynier Fernandes. A midfielder for a striker. Mumbai City FC look to shore up the points.

Chhetri comes close

First Rahul Bheke puts in a long throw-in from the right. Juanan heads it wide of the far post. Deshorn Brown salvages the ball and crosses it back in. Sunil Chhetri at the near post heads it wide.

Sunil Chhetri yellow carded

Udanta Singh brings down Rowllin Borges and then Sunil Chhetri threw the ball out of frustration. However, referee didn't like his outburst and booked him.

Disappointing delivery

Ashique Kuruniyanis played in on the left flank. His cross is too heavy and the ball flies over the crossbar.

Brown is offside

Dimas Delgado plays a very smart looking ball after stealing it from Rowllin Borges. However, Deshorn Brown was in an offside position.

Final sub for Bengaluru FC

Harmanjot Khabra is replaced by Bengaluru FC's January signing Deshorn Brown.

Offside

Mohamed Larbi plays a short pass to Amine Chermiti on the left flank. However, the Tunisian had run offside.

GGGOOOAAALLL

Another gift for Mumbai City FC! Rowllin Borges from the center of midfield crosses the ball into the box. Harmanjot Khabra gets under the ball and tries to head it back to his keeper. The pass is too short and he ends up serving it on a plate for Amine Chermiti. The opportune Tunisian beats the goalkeeper to score the second goal.

Booked

Diego Carlos pokes an elbow into Albert Serran a he battled to win a header. Bengaluru FC get a free kick and Diego Carlos gets a yellow card.

Close!

Rahul Bheke takes a throw-in from the right touch line and delivers a long ranger into the box. It is cleared to the edge of the box, where Udanta Singh heads the ball over the crossbar with a loopy effort.

Free kick wasted!

Ashique Kuruniyan is pushed to the ground by Sarthak Golui. Dimas Delgado takes the set-piece but he can't clear the wall.

Play resumes

Mumbai City FC get us underway. Bengaluru FC make a change, Manuel Onwu is replaced by Udanta Singh.

Mumbai City FC's half!

The hosts lead 1-0. The Islanders scored via Modou Sougou on the 13th minute thanks to a wild decision by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu. Else on the balance of play, there was nothing in it to separate the two sides in a heated up half. There were a lot of altercations between the players. Bengaluru FC will feel the decisions went against them as Sunil Chhetri's effort just before the break was flagged offside. The visitors will want to win this and go to the top of the league. Let's see how the second half pans out.

Full time

Peep peep peep, goes the referee's whistle. Mumbai City FC go into the break 1-0.

Offside

Sunil Chhetri thought he had scored but he was flagged offside. Dimas Delgado chips the ball into the box and Chhetri received it. He shot it into the goal but play was pulled back to the point of the offside.

Added time

Two minutes have been added on.

Yellow card for Bengaluru FC

Dimas Delgado is booked for a very rash tackle on Rowllin Borges.

Half chances for Bengaluru FC

Subhasish Bose tackles Ashique Kuruniyan to concede a free kick. Albert Serran swings it into the box and the ball is headed out for a corner. Dimas Delgado takes it and Erik Paartalu heads it out for a goal kick.

Mumbai City FC get to a corner

Diego Carlos gets the ball on the left-hand side of the box. he shoots it goalwards and Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saves it to concede a corner. Mohamed Larbi's delivery is too long and the ball rolls out for a goal kick.

Clever ball

Dimas Delgado sets up a ball for Erik Paartalu in midfield, he clips up into the box for Nishu Kumar. Sadly, the wing back is not on the same page.

The Blues try find a way back!

Nishu Kumar takes a throw-in and gets the ball back on the left flank. He crosses it from close to the byline. Diego Carlos acrobatically clears the ball with a bicycle kick. It falls to Harmanjot Khabra in the box who shoots and Subhasish Bose clears the ball.

Free kick - Bengaluru FC

Rowllin Borges bundles down Ashique Kuruniyan at the halfway line. Silly free kick to concede.

SAVE!

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu saves well. Rowllin Borges gets the ball at the edge of the area and shoots, it is deflected to Modou Sougou, who is in the box. He shoots straight at Gurpreet Singh Sandhu, who saves the ball and concedes a corner. Mohamed Larbi takes it, and flats the ball to the far post. Amine Chermiti nudges Gurpreet Singh Sandhu from the back and concedes a free kick.

Bengaluru FC fighting back!

The visitors are trying to force their way back in to the match but they can't break Mumbai City FC down.

GGGGOOOAAALLLL

Mumbai City FC take the lead and how? Rowllin Borges is in his own half closer to the Mumbai City FC's box than the halfway line. He plays a crossfield ball towards Modou Sougou, who is near Bengaluru FC's box. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu has a mind numbing moment as he came off his line and to the edge of the box. He collided with his defender and a little with Modou Sougou but the forward gets a header on the ball. The ball then simply bounces into the empty net. Sandhu is embarrassed and Bengaluru FC concede their eighth goal of the tournament.

Off target!

Dimas Delgado plays the corner shot to Harmanjot Khabra, who crosses it to the far post. Sunil Chhetri controls the volley well with his first touch and on his second, he shoots it over the crossbar.

Bengaluru FC get a corner

Bengaluru FC keep the ball well and the play in Ashique Kuruniyan, who is on the right hand side. He shoots and it is blocked out for a corner.

First cross

Mumbai City FC delivers the first cross into the box, a quartet of Rowllin Borges, Subhasish Bose, Diego Carlos and Mohamed Larbi exchange passes close to the left touchline. Larbi in the end crosses the ball into the box and Sandhu catches.

Kick off

Bengaluru FC get us underway. They move the ball forward quickly and get a throw-in on the right hand side. Rahul Bheke delivers it deep into the box and it is headed clear.

Toss

Mumbai City FC win the toss. Amrinder Singh chooses to kick from left to right.

National Anthem

The players are out of the tunnel and they stand in attention to respect the Indian National Anthem.

Bengaluru FC Playing XI

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu (GK), Rahul Bheke, Albert Serran, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra, Nishu Kumar, Erik Paartalu, Dimas Delgado, Manuel Onwu, Sunil Chhetri (C), Ashique Kuruniyan.

Mumbai City FC Playing XI

Amrinder Singh (GK/C), Pratik Chaudhari, Mato Grgic, Subhasish Bose, Sarthak Golui, Sourav Das, Rowllin Borges, Diego Carlos, Mohamed Larbi, Amine Chermiti, Modou Sougou.

Matchday

Today’s match in the Indian Super League is the 61st league fixture. It marks the beginning of the final third of the tournament. The top four teams are starting to break away from the chasing pack, which includes Mumbai City FC, who are on 5th position with 16 points on the board. They are 5 points behind fourth-placed Odisha FC but to their advantage, they have a game in hand over their closest rivals and can cut the deficit down to 2 points. Their aspirations of making it to the top four will be achieved if they come up trumps in today’s fixture. The Islanders have a tough task at hand though as today they host defending champions, Bengaluru FC. The visitors are in second place on the table and a win here will see them climb to the top of the table. The visitors have the meanest defence in the league, conceding just seven goals and holding on to as many clean sheets so far. Sunil Chhetri will be leading Bengaulru FC and is their top goalscorer as well. The skipper has clocked 8 goals so far and he is the joint third-highest goalscorer in the league so far. The veteran Indian striker was on target in the reverse fixture as well, which ended in the Blues’ first defeat of the season. Rowllin Borges scored the winner in stoppage time for Mumbai City FC. The hosts come into this game on the back of consecutive defeats. They were unable to score in the last 2 matches and against a watertight defence like the one that the visitors have, scoring will be all the more difficult. Mumbai City FC’s head coach, Jorge Costa will also be concerned by their defence which has shipped in 21 goals. Only bottom-placed Hyderabad FC have conceded more. The silver lining for the hosts will be their head-to-head record in recent games against the Blues. The Islanders haven’t lost to the visitors in their last three meetings, with Costa engineering two wins. So, will the hosts be able to buck the trend of defeats and earn some points this time round? Or will Bengaluru FC win their 3rd match on the trot?