ISL 2020-21: Bipin Singh scores hat-trick as Mumbai City thrash Odisha FC to keep hopes of first-place finish alive

Bambolim: Bipin Singh on Wednesday scored the first hat-trick of the season as a dominant Mumbai City FC thrashed Odisha FC 6-1 in their penultimate Indian Super League match, to set up a clash against ATK Mohun Bagan for a berth in the prestigious AFC Champions League (ACL). The equation for the ISL League Winners Shield is clear. A win for Mumbai City in their final league game against ATK Mohun Bagan on Sunday will hand them the Shield as well as a spot in next season’s ACL group stage. Anything else than that, it will be ATKMB celebrating. After Odisha had taken a shock early lead through Diego Mauricio (9th minute), Mumbai hit back hard through goals from Bartholomew Ogbeche (14th, 43rd), Bipin Singh (38th, 47th, 86th) and Cy Goddard (44th). It was the highest-scoring game of the season and Mumbai had the biggest-winning margin yet. The timely return to form ended a three-game winless run for Sergio Lobera’s side. Yet, when the match started, it appeared as if Mumbai would continue their wretched form. Early on, Odisha were awarded a penalty when Ahmed Jahouh fouled Mauricio in the box. The latter stepped up and ensured that Odisha had an unlikely lead, despite Amrinder getting a hand to the ball. But Mumbai weren’t behind for long. Just five minutes later, Jahouh made amends for his mistake by finding Ogbeche off a freekick. The Nigerian made no mistake, heading it in to restore parity. Odisha put up quite a fight over the next 20 minutes as Mumbai struggled to convert their dominance into clear-cut chances. But once the goal came, the floodgates opened. Mumbai’s second goal had an element of luck to it. After Ogbeche’s shot was blocked, the ball fell kindly for Bipin, who made no mistake from his shot. Then, just five minutes later, Mumbai struck again, putting the result of the match beyond doubt. Jahouh and Ogbeche once again combined with the latter finding the striker from yet another freekick. Once again, the big Nigerian made no mistake, heading it in. With just seconds to go before the half-time whistle, Goddard found the net with a peach of a goal. After receiving the ball on the right, the youngster cut inside and fired in a shot that gave Odisha keeper Arshdeep Singh no chance. Two minutes after the restart, Bipin found the net again, Ogbeche turning provider this time. The goal prompted Lobera to give his main stars a break, with the likes of Adam Le Fondre and Mourtada Fall being substituted. Ogbeche too joined them on the bench later. But there was still time for Bipin to complete his hat-trick with just minutes left for the final whistle.