On January 6, Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan witnessed a dramatic 90 minutes. East Bengal FC hosted Mumbai City FC tonight. Mumbai City led in the first half, but the second half saw shaky football. East Bengal made a fiery comeback, however, Nikos Karelis’ brace sealed the score at 3-2 for Mumbai City FC.
From the kickoff, the visitors started dominating the match with their front-froot footballing display. Early in the 5th minute, Vikram Pratap found the net from a cross, but the goal was ruled out for offside. In the 20th minute, Mumbai City came close to scoring when Vikram Pratap Singh beat East Bengal defense near the halfway line and delivered a precise cross. Karelis and Bipin both attacked the ball but failed to apply the finishing touch, allowing an East Bengal defender to clear it for a corner.
However, in the 39th minute, from Brandon Fernandes’ aerial pass from the left, Chhangte expertly placed the ball into the net to open the scoring. Just four minutes later, Karelis doubled the lead. In the 43rd minute, from a corner, Nikos Karelis’ flying header made it 2-0 for Mumbai City FC before the halftime break. In the first half, East Bengal attempted only three shots, one of which was on target, but it was not enough to counter Mumbai City’s consistent attack.
In the second half, from the start, East Bengal FC dominated possession and tried to fight back into the game. In the 56th minute, Vishnu wins the ball from Van Nieff, setting East Bengal FC on a counterattack. Cleiton receives the ball and cleverly slips it to Mahesh inside the box. However, instead of taking the shot himself, Mahesh attempts to cut back a pass, ultimately wasting the chance.
In the 66th minute East Bengal FC created a situation which force Mumbai City to made the mistake, Mahesh picks up the ball on the left and drives into the box. He cuts onto his right foot and takes a shot, but Rehenesh makes the save. The rebound falls to PV Vishnu, who delivers a cross into the six-yard area. The ball deflects off Sahil Panwar and rolls into the net.
In the 70th minute, from the left, Vishnu sends a cross into the box, but Cleiton Silva’s header goes wide. On the counter, Bipin is on the ball again, from down the right wing. He delivers a low cross into the box, but once again, no one is there to commit it. Vikram rushes to reclaim the ball but ends up fouling Mahesh in the process, earning himself a yellow card.
In the 83rd minute super-sub David equalise the score for the Red And Gold Brigade. A corner from the left came for EBFC, but the Mumbai City defense clears it away. The ball quickly Hector Yuste headed out back into the box, where David strikes it first time, sending it into the bottom left corner.
Within four minutes, Karelis’s brace gave Mumbai City FC the lead again, and sealed the deal. In the 87th minute, Nathan Rodrigues delivered a perfect through ball to the edge of the box, where Karelis took a touch before chipping it past the keeper, who had come off his line.
East Bengal FC will play their next fixture against Mohun Bagan SG on January 11, but the venue for the derby is still undecided due to confusion. Earlier, the Sports Minister of West Bengal mentioned that they cannot provide sufficient force and protection due to the Ganga Sagar Fair, so the derby match needs to be shifted. Mumbai City FC will host Jamshedpur FC on January 12.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH: Lalrinzuala Chhangte.
Match Highlights East Bengal FC vs Mumbai City FC
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