ISL 2018-19: Relentless FC Goa find their attacking groove as Mumbai City FC succumb to first defeat in nine matches

Mumbai City FC’s victory against Bengaluru FC after the break period was hailed for all the right reasons. Everything worked in the home team’s favour and they ended their opponent’s unbeaten streak in the league. In their very next match on Friday, Mumbai, who were enjoying a nine-game unbeaten run, were as uninspiring as Bengaluru and succumbed to a deserving 0-2 loss to FC Goa at the Mumbai Football Arena. Everything that worked for Jorge Costa’s Mumbai in the match against Bengaluru, went for a toss against Sergio Lobera’s Goa side. Before Mumbai stepped up to face Goa on Friday, the team had conceded only four goals in their last nine unbeaten games. It was testament to the team’s defensive solidity, which improved significantly since their 0-5 humiliation against the same Goa team during their first meeting in the league. Friday’s loss might not be a humiliation, but it certainly puts a dent on the reputation of Mumbai’s famed defence. Both teams made one change to their playing XI from last match. Mumbai City FC’s highest goal-scorer this season Modou Sougou was out injured and he was replaced by Matias Mirabaje. For FC Goa, Hugo Boumous was benched and in his place Ahmed Jahouh started the game. [caption id=“attachment_6012361” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] FC Goa ended Mumbai City FC’s 9-game unbeaten run with a 2-0 victory over Jorge Costa’s men in Mumbai on Friday. Image COurtesy: Twitter/@StarFootball[/caption] As it was expected, it didn’t take much time Goa’s attackers to find their feet on Friday. In the second minute of the match, Goa had a great chance to take the lead in the game. Brandon Fernandes’s played a superb dummy to let the ball pass to Mandar Rao Dessai, whose shot well-saved by Amrinder Singh. The chance came after an incisive move from forward Ferrain Corominas in the wing which Mumbai simply failed to keep in check. This continued throughout the match as Corominas’ movements in the attacking half gave Mumbai’s defenders a very hard time. Costa would’ve identified Corominas and midfielder Edu Bedia as two main threats for his team before the match. But it was surprising to see Mumbai’s defenders not coming up with a plan to counter the two players. Both Bedia and Corominas enjoyed acres of space whenever they were on the ball and had no trouble in making darting runs into their opponent’s box. It was just a matter for time before Goa would’ve taken a lead. The relentlessness from Goa also resulted in frustration from Mumbai with Milan Singh and Lucian Goian receiving yellow cards for rash challenges. The deadlock was broken in the 27th minute. Brandon released Corominas with a delightful ball and the forward’s shot was saved by Amrinder. The rebound, though, fell to Bedia and the midfielder’s shot took a slight deflection before the ball found the back of the net. By taking a lead in the game, Goa put Mumbai under pressure, who were struggling carve out chances. The likes of Paulo Machado, Rafael Bastos, Arnold Issoko and Mirabaje were clearly out of their depths when it came to attacking moves. Mumbai started the second-half on a much better note. There was cohesion in their attack and players looked more determined to find an equaliser. However, it was Goa who first came up with a really good opportunity to double their lead. Mandar found space on the flank and made a run. His link-up play with Corominas and Bedia resulted in him getting into a good position, but his curler sailed off the crossbar. The home team’s best chances came around the hour mark. Issoko raced away with the ball on the left and found Machado in the centre of the box. The Mumbai skipper did well to hit it on target, but Goa goalkeeper Mohammad Nawaz pulled off a good save. Just a minute later, Mirabaje’s freekick found Goian, but his header, unfortunately hit the post. Lobera introduced Boumous in the second-half and the midfielder showed why he has been an influential player for his team this season. Along with Bedia, Boumous kept Mumbai’s defenders on their toes with his runs and intelligent play. In the 77th minute, Boumous made a run towards the box and passed it to Corominas in the centre but before he could take a shot, Subhasish Bose fouled the Goan forward and the referee had no hesitation in giving a penalty. Corominas stepped up and sent the goalkeeper the wrong way as he scored his 11th goal of the season, thus becoming the highest goal-scorer in the history of Indian Super League. What a signing he has been for Goa. It’s just his second season in the league, but he already has 29 goals to his name. Since the time he joined Lobera at FC Goa, the Spaniard has been the heartbeat of the team. He was instrumental in Goa’s run to the playoffs last season and once again, his goals are proving to be crucial as the team is looking to seal a spot in top four this season. After the second goal, it looked like Mumbai lost all hope of making a comeback. It was a second consecutive clean sheet for the Goan club and massive three points considering the race for the playoffs. They are now third on the table with 24 points from 13 matches. Lobera would be relieved to get the win, but he knows the job is not done yet.