bitbet Indian Super League: Mumbai City FC Edge Past East Bengal FC In Thrilling 3-2 Victory

Mumbai City FC held off a late scare from East Bengal FC to secure a thrilling 3-2 victory in the Indian Super League (ISL) here on Monday. (Highlights | More Sports News)bitbet

Mumbai were offensively prolific in the first-half, recording 12 touches inside East Bengal's box in the opening 45 minutes.

The visitors pulled off a flawless sequence from the back, with their defensive unit initiating the attack. Brandon Fernandes picked the ball from Vikram Partap Singh at the centre from distance. 

Immediately, Brandon carved open the East Bengal FC defence with a slick through-ball intended for Lallianzuala Chhangte. The attacker took a fine touch, before he deposited it into the bottom left corner with a fierce right-footed shot to break the deadlock. 

The home side regained their attacking intensity as soon as the second essay of the game began. They didn’t let the Islanders settle and dictate the offensive endeavours as was the case in the first half. 

Naorem Mahesh Singh put pressure on the Mumbai City defence with an industrious effort in the 66th minute down the left flank. The Petr Kratky-coached team fell short of clearing the ball out, which instead ended up landing at Dimitrios Diamantakos' feet on the right post. 

India then beat Korea 3-1 before eking out a narrow 2-1 win over arch-rivals Pakistan.

The striker tried for a lateral pass from close range, but Mumbai City's Sahil Panwar got in the way and struck the ball inside his own net, reducing the deficit for the Red & Gold Brigade. 

In the 83rd minute, a corner kick led to the equaliser for the Kolkata-based side. The Islanders wore a disorganised look for a brief while and it was enough for the Oscar Bruzon-coached unit to pounce upon. 

By pushing sheer numbers ahead, they overwhelmed the Mumbai City FC backline in their own box. Hector Yuste showed his smarts by using his head to lay a ball on David Lalhlansanga’s path at the centre of the box, and the latter used his left foot to send the ball into the bottom left corner. 

Howeverbitbet, East Bengal's joy was short-lived though, as Mumbai City snatched the winner four minutes later, with Karelis bagging his brace.