Mumbai: Mumbai City FC came from behind to score two goals late in the second half as Greg Stewart and Jorge Pereyra Diaz netted one each to hand the Islanders a 2-1 victory against Punjab FC in their home ground in the Indian Super League (ISL) match on Thursday night.
Defending titles is arguably more difficult than winning them, but Mumbai City FC are putting up a strong case for the same by repeatedly coming from behind and picking up crucial points. They beat Kerala Blasters FC at the same venue in a similar manner last month and repeated those heroics to further extend Punjab’s search for their opening win of the season.
Punjab did most things right for the major portion of the game, with their talismanic striker Luka Majcen testing Mohammed Nawaz with a headed effort in the 14th minute.
Majcen looked determined to catch the opportunity of defeating Des Buckingham and his men in their own backyard as he sprinted ahead with the ball and shot it accurately into the back of the net from outside of the 18-yard box in the 37th minute.
The Slovenian, who was the highest goal scorer in the I-League last season, notched his second strike of the season.
The home side regrouped in the second half, though. Buckingham shook the line up slightly with the introduction of Lallianzuala Chhangte and Jayesh Rane in place of Vikram Pratap Singh and Akash Mishra in the 46th minute and 63rd minutes, respectively.
Mumbai kept knocking on the door repeatedly, with Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Lalengmawia Ralte coming close to bagging the equalizer. Apuia in fact hit the post once, but it was former ISL Golden Ball winner Stewart who drew scores level.
As the full-time whistle neared, Mumbai City FC at no point resorted to relying on a moment of individual brilliance. They kept executing their attacking efforts collectively, with Stewart slotting the ball past Punjab FC goalkeeper Ravi Kumar upon receiving an assist from Rane.
Mumbai spotted the opening and pounced upon that, as they moved ahead with precision and Chhangte and Diaz connected for the latter to finish the move off and bag his fifth goal of the campaign. Buckingham’s in-game tactical moves deserve praise. Rane and Chhangte came on as substitutes and bagged an assist each by setting a goal each for Stewart and Diaz, respectively.
In fact, the 51 seconds between Mumbai City’s two goals is the second-shortest duration between two goals by the same team in ISL history. The shortest is 38 seconds, with both goals being scored by Aridane Santana in the 56th minute for Hyderabad against East Bengal in the ISL 2019-20 campaign.
Punjab lost their shape post that effort, with Dimitris Chatziisaias being shown the second yellow card and subsequently being sent off in the 98th minute.
Punjab FC will next host Hyderabad FC at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in New Delhi on November 7, whereas the Islanders will be playing in the ISL against Bengaluru FC at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on December 8.
