Lallianzuala Chhangte reigns supreme as miserly Mumbai City storm into ISL final against Mohun Bagan

After a staggering late comeback at the Fatorda, Mumbai City FC ended FC Goa’s challenge with perfect game management at the Mumbai Football Arena on Monday. The second leg of the semi-final finished 2-0 , Mumbai won 5-2 on aggregate, Lallianzuala Chhangte scored once more while Goa again failed to challenge the Islanders. Looking at the final result, it’s impossible to believe that Goa were 2-0 up until the last minute of the first leg, that they dominated almost half of the semi-final tie and could very well have been the team to face Mohun Bagan Super Giant in the final on 4 May at the Salt Lake Stadium.

That’s exactly how the story unfolded in the semi-final of the Indian Super League (ISL) season. Goa had the upper hand before Chhangte scored in the 90th minute at the Fatorda Stadium, before Mumbai added two more in injury time and take a 3-2 lead to their home ground.

All the Islanders needed to do was manage the game and avoid a loss.

Goa needed a win or at least a goal advantage to take the match to extra-time and they began in that spirit. They looked sharper, had the ball and built attacking moves but failed to create real opportunities. Mumbai, who are accustomed to playing on the front foot at home, had to adjust, drop deep and defend. This real-time tactical flexibility would later prove to be the deciding factor.

“We don’t play for counterattacks; it just came with the context of the game. In the first 30 minutes, we were losing lots of balls, which we (usually) win. We wanted to keep the ball in our control; we wanted to control the game,” Mumbai City coach Petr Kratky said in the post-match press conference.

“But credit goes to FC Goa, who didn’t let us (do that). That’s why we went a little bit deeper. But the boys pushed, absorbed the pressure, and slowly we got back in the game and tried to get a little bit (more) control, (which is why) it was a better second half,” he added.

In fact, despite stitching 410 passes in the match and having 56 per cent of the possession, Goa could only muster six shots with only one on target as their challenge fizzled out.

In search of a win that could propel them into the final, Manolo Marquez made wholesale changes to his starting XI. Noah Sadaoui was pushed to the left wing with Mohammad Yasir missing out due to injury and Carlos Martinez led the attack line. Udanta Singh took the spot on the right wing, replacing Boris Singh Thangjam, and Borja Herrera dropped to the bench for Rowllin Borges.

With the advantage of hindsight, there’s no doubt Manolo overplayed his hand by dropping in-form players, forcing Sadaoui to the left and changing his tactics. It was the best example of a team playing the occasion and not the opposition. The knee-jerk, last-minute changes resulted in a disjointed FC Goa who lacked the usual rhythm and panache.

Manolo was first to admit it when the game ended.

“Possession is one of the biggest lies in football. Because finally, I think we had 55 to 45 more or less (ball possession) but one shot on target for us. We started the game okay, good with the ball. But after 15-20 minutes, my feeling from the sideline is that nothing happened during the first half, practically, you know, without chances. In the second half, we tried to change this, but when they (Mumbai City FC) scored the first goal, practically the game was over,” he said.

“I think that today when Mumbai City FC scored the first goal, the team (FC Goa) was completely down. We tried till the end, we fought till the end, but… Okay, maybe I was wrong with the lineup too.”

One of the biggest factors that went against Goa was the one-on-one duel between Mumbai captain Rahul Bheke and Goa’s biggest attacking threat Sadaoui on the left. This was a masterstroke in many ways by Kratky, to take Bheke out from the centre-back slot and put him against the Moroccan-American while Mehtab Singh, who played as a right-back in the first leg, moved to the left to replace injured Akash Mishra.

Bheke was at his best when it came down to marking Sadaoui, cutting down his crosses and not allowing him space to create opportunities. One of the most popular players across the league this season was neutralised in a defensive masterclass.

Once the backline and defensive work was sorted, all Mumbai needed was goals to release the pressure from themselves and while they had opportunities in the first half with Tiri and Chhangte hitting the woodwork, it was Bheke who created the first goal, as he so often does in the big games.

In the 69th minute, he leaped highest to meet a Yoell van Nieff corner which was saved on the line by Nim Dorjee Tamang but Jorge Pereyra Diaz converted from the rebound. Chhangte doubled the lead in the 83rd minute highlighting his pace, ability to remain calm under pressure and strike big when it matters the most — all traits that are rarely found in an Indian attacker.

The move started with Vikram Partap Singh intercepting a poor pass from Borja and releasing Chhangte on a counterattack as the Indian international rounded off not one but three Goan players to score and seal the deal for Mumbai.

Chhangte has now scored in five straight ISL games — a record for an Indian footballer. It was also his 10th ISL goal of the season, making him the first Indian player to score 10 or more goals in multiple seasons.

The biggest compliment for the Indian winger on the night came from Goa’s coach as the Spaniard said only two fullbacks in the league can stop the marauding Mizo.

“When he (Chhangte) is in good shape, the difference in a game can be Chhangte. The other day (in the first leg) it was like this. Today he played a good game, too and it’s difficult for the fullbacks. Only Akash Mishra and Subhasish Bose, Akash, because I had him playing (for me) in Hyderabad, only they can stop these kinds of players,” Marquez reckoned.

While Mishra is his teammate, Chhangte will soon meet Subhasish Bose in the final against Mohun Bagan Super Giant, a team that defeated Mumbai in the last league game to snatch away the League Winners Shield. And what a final that would be.