With this draw, Mumbai City FC continues to stay atop the table and has sealed the playoffs berth, while FC Goa has risen to the third spot in the Indian Super League 2020-21 table. Both the sides have been playing the tournament since 2014 and are yet to win the title.
Mumbai City FC was held to an exciting 3-3 draw by FC Goa in the 2020-21 Indian Super League, at the GMC Stadium in Goa, on Monday. Meanwhile, City has become the first side to seal its place in the playoffs for the season, while Goa rises to third and is in contention.
It all began when Hugo Boumous and Adam Le Fondre put Mumbai ahead in the 20th and 26th minute, respectively, while Glan Martins and Igor Angulo levelled it in 45th and 51st, each. Although Rowllin Borges restored Mumbai's lead in the 90th minute, Ishan Pandita equalised it again in the 96th.
Following the game, Mumbai boss, Sergio Lobera was delighted at sealing the playoffs berth but warned his side against losing any points at the closing stages. "I am happy that we have qualified for the playoffs, but in this moment, I am not happy to lose points in the last moment. We need to learn because our biggest weakness is not managing the moment well. We had enough chances to score the third goal earlier and finish the game. We stuck in and scored goal, and they also believed and scored the goal and finally, a draw for me is not enough. I feel we lost two very important points," he said, reports Sportstar.
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Speaking on the discipline, his side has shown throughout the season, he reckoned, "I think the cards can be avoided. We need to think about it. I can understand that the players find it hard to control their emotions with some of the referee's decisions, but we are professionals and need to know how to manage these situations. Today, we could have avoided the red card, especially."
Meanwhile, Goa manager, Juan Ferrando was charmed with the result. "It was an excellent game. Two teams tried to play football and had very good players on the pitch. In my opinion, we have problems in transitions. Character and personality-wise, we are the best team in the ISL. This team has never surrendered, always wants the three points. This is most the important aspect for me," he stated.
"The second goal was a big mistake. After the substitutions, we needed to change our man to man marking and the defence tactics. It was confusing because when you play the last 5-10 minutes, it's difficult to concentrate. It's our fault and we need to work on it. We need to push in these points and in transitions. We need to keep improving," he concluded.