Mumbai City FC continued its dominant run, as it tamed Kerala Blasters 2-0 in the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL) clash, at the GMC Stadium in Goa, on Saturday. Mumbai consolidates its spot at the top with this win, while Blasters lurks at the ninth place.
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The match was off to an exciting start, as Mumbai earned a penalty in the game's opening minute after Costa Nhamoinesu brought down Hugo Boumous inside the box. Meanwhile, Adam Le Fondre successfully converted the spot-kick as he shot the ball into the centre with his right foot.
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The very next attack saw Mumbai double the lead within 10 minutes, as Boumous successfully converted an assist from Ahmed Jahouh with his right-footed strike to the bottom left from the centre. It was followed by 15 more attacks, including three saves, with a couple for Blasters, as the hosts walked in with the lead at half-time.
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The second half, too, had its moments, with 12 attacks being produced. Meanwhile, in the 70th minute, Mumbai had a chance to triple its lead after Sandeep Singh conceded another penalty, while Blasters' goalkeeper, Albino Gomes, saved Boumous' shot.
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Furthermore, Mumbai keeper, Amrinder Singh, too, came up with a couple of saves to deny Blasters a comeback. Mumbai managed to hold on to the lead, as it managed to walk away with the three points at the end of the game.
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Following the game, Blasters head coach, Kibu Vicuna, rued that its mistakes cost the game in the opening 11 minutes. "We lost the game in the first 11 minutes. We can't concede two goals like that. We committed mistakes and we deserve this. But, we need to continue fighting. We started the second half really well. We played in the opponent's half, pressed high, recovered balls and didn't give away the ball easily. We created more chances than Mumbai but weren't able to put the finishing touches. That's why we lost," he said.
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Meanwhile, despite the win, Mumbai head coach, Sergio Lobera, wasn't happy with the side's performance in the second half. "The first few minutes are very important for us. We spoke before the game about this and I'm very happy with our start. But, after we scored two goals, the situation changed. I'm not happy with the way we played in the second half. We had too many chances to score again, but we committed errors and lost our tempo. However, I'm very happy with the performance of Amrinder Singh and our defence," he reckoned.
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