Jan 8, 2022, 1:29 PM IST
It turned out to be an unexpectedly intense contest between defending champion Mumbai City FC (MCFC) and SC East Bengal (SCEB). Played at the Tilak Maidan Stadium in Vasco da Gama (Goa) on Friday, the two teams settled goalless. While MCFC rises to the top, SCEB stays winless at the bottom. You can catch all the match highlights above.
The opening half saw 12 attacks. It had a save each from the goalkeepers, while Mumbai dominated the possession and created somewhat more chances than SCEB. The following half saw 15 attempts being made, with Mumbai having the most attempts. While most of the shots were blocked, SCEB goalkeeper Arindam Bhattacharya pulled off a fine save to deny the champion the advantage, as both settled for an intriguing goalless draw.
"I'm more interested in this game this evening and for me, well done to SC East Bengal, but also we've had three clearcut penalties denied and not given. And, for me, that's the reason we haven't come away with the results tonight," said Mumbai head coach Des Buckingham after the match.