AGENCIES
MUMBAI
FC Pune City beat Mumbai City FC 1-0 to keep their semi-final hopes alive at the Mumbai Football Arena on Thursday evening.
Eugeneson Lyngdoh’s 89th-minute winner turned out to be the difference in a game which saw the teams stonewalling each other’s attacks for the most part. But Pune City managed to eke out their second win in a row in the 2016 Indian Super League.
Mumbai were the stronger team off the blocks as they tried to feed their strikers with long balls but the visitors were equal to the task and averted the danger. The hosts soon suffered a blow as Leo Costa had to limp off with a groin injury and Thiago Cunha was brought on. The change almost paid dividends with Cunha setting up Sehnaj Singh off an Edel Bete fumble but the youngster put his shot way over the goal.
Cunha continued the good work with a dangerous cross but MatÃas Defederico failed to reach it. Minutes later, Cunha again headed it to Diego Forlan but Bete was close at hand to collect the ball. Mumbai continued piling on the pressure as Defederico took a crack on goal but Bete again pulled out an excellent diving save to keep it 0-0.
At the other end, Mohamed Sissoko combined with Rahul Bheke brilliantly quite a few times but they failed to break down the Mumbai backline. The game slowed down as Sunil Chhetri and Forlan indulged in some sublime one-touch football but a goal still eluded them. Both teams lacked the killer touch as they headed into the tunnel at half-time goalless.
The second half began with Pune introducing Lyngdoh for Dramane Traore. Mumbai continued dominating the game with Chhetri, Aiborlang Khongjee, Defederico all trying their luck. But they either shot wide or were simply blocked off by the resilient Pune defence. Mumbai once again went on the attack as Forlan found Krisztian Vadocz on the far post but the Hungarian was unable to find the target. It just didn’t seem like Mumbai’s night when Forlan’s free-kick was pushed onto the crossbar by Bete.
Pune City brought on Jesus Tato soon and his introduction invigorated the Stallions. He put in quite a few good balls and one of the rebounds was drilled in by Jonatan Lucca but it went straight to Albino Gomes. Bete came up with a save off his own at the other end as he put out a leg to thwart Forlan’s clear attempt on the goal. The game was heading towards a draw when Lyngdoh delivered the goods. A loose ball into the box was put into the net by the Bengaluru FC star as Pune made it to the top half of the table after 12 points from nine games. Despite the defeat, Mumbai maintained their second position in the standings.
Match Awards
Fittest Player of the Match: Matias Defederico
ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Rahul Bheke
Hero of the Match: Eugeneson Lyngdoh
