ISL 2020-21: Kibu Vicuna hails Kerala Blasters FC boys following narrow defeat to Mumbai City FC

By Team Newsable | First Published Feb 4, 2021, 10:57 AM IST

Kerala Blasters FC continues to lurk at the ninth place in the 2020-21 Indian Super League table, while Mumbai City dominates at the top. Both the sides are playing the competition since 2014 and are in the hunt for their maiden title to date.

Indian Super League giant, Kerala Blasters FC succumbed to a narrow 1-2 defeat to Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League 2020-21, at the GMC Stadium in Goa, on Wednesday. With this loss, Blasters lurks at the ninth place, while Mumbai dominates atop the table.

It all began with Vicente Gomez's opening strike in the 27th minute, that handed Blasters the lead. However, Mumbai bounced back in the second half, with Bipin Singh levelling it in the 46th, while Adam Le Fondre successfully converted a penalty in the 67th minute, to walk away with the win.

Tap to resize

Latest Videos

Tap to resize

Despite the loss, Blasters boss, Kibu Vicuna hailed his boys for their fighting spirit. "I think we played well. We created chances and dominated the best team in the competition at times. Costa (Nhamoinesu) said that it was not a penalty. All these 50-50 decisions have not been going our way. We just need to keep working harder. In football, when you are in good form, you tend to get a string of good results even if you play bad. But for us, the extra bit of luck is just not there," he said after the game, reports Sportstar.

ALSO READ: Mumbai City FC extends lead on top with win over Kerala Blasters FC

"I feel this season has been very cruel to us. We have to improve in defence. We had very good chances to score that second goal. Any team could have won tonight. But once again, it was us stuck at the wrong end," he added.

Meanwhile, Mumbai head coach, Sergio Lobera termed this as a crucial win in its bid to seal the playoffs spot. "This is a very important win for us. After the loss in the last game against NorthEast United FC, we have come back stronger. I'm extremely proud of my players for coming from behind and sealing the full three points. We deserved the result and I'm so happy," he asserted.

"It's important for me to have a good squad. It's not only about having quality individual players. Rowllin Borges and Raynier Fernandes stepped up well in Ahmed Jahouh's absence. The entire team went on to show why they are on top of the ISL points table," he concluded.

For more reliable and latest news