Mumbai City FC vs Churchill Brothers FC: All-Indian Islanders edge past I-League outfit in Super Cup

Mumbai City FC
Mumbai City FC's Rowlin Borges was awarded the Man of the Match for his performance against Churchill Brothers FC. (Image Courtesy; AIFF Media)

A late penalty from Lallianzuala Chhangte earned three points for Mumbai City FC as they came away with a 2-1 victory in their Hero Super Cup 2023 opener against Churchill Brothers FC at the Payyanad Stadium in Manjeri on Tuesday, April 11.

While the conversations were around the Islanders fielding an all-Indian squad for the tournament, the ability of the native players to influence a match was somehow submerged.

But once the whistle went off, Des Buckingham's team showed exactly the quality they possessed. They tried to control the tempo from the get-go and created some exciting attacking plays.

However, it was the Goan side who took the lead in the ninth minute. Phurba Lachenpa's howler while attempting to play it out from the back cost Mumbai City as Ansumana Kromah pinched the ball from the goalkeeper before finding the back of the net.

The Islanders didn't pull out the white flags right away and kept their heads in the game. They bounced back from the early setback and scored the equalizer in the 26th minute. Rowllin Borges’ delivery from a freekick found Mehtab Singh, who headed it past Nora Fernandes.

Both teams had their sights set on victory, and the game saw a flurry of chances at either end of the field. Chhangte came agonizingly close to opening the scoring but failed to capitalize on a gilt-edge opportunity, while Kromah's efforts to find the back of the net were thwarted time and again by the opposition defense. The teams went into the break level on terms.


Mumbai City FC score last-gasp winner against Churchill Brothers FC

The start of the second half was full of promise, but both sides seemed to lack the cutting edge in the final third. Despite this, Martin Chaves managed to carve out the best chance of the half, but his shot was weak and easily saved by Lachenpa in goal.

Despite owning the majority of the possession, the Islanders looked to be running out of ideas as Churchill Brothers expertly shut down their attacking play. However, the ISL Shield holders refused to give up, and their persistence paid off in the dying minutes of the game.

A cynical foul on Vikram Pratap Singh in the penalty box resulted in a spot-kick on the stroke of the second minute of additional time. Mumbai City were presented with a glorious opportunity to seal the tie and Lallianzuala Chhangte was at the center of it. The in-form winger confidently converted the penalty to give his team a hard-fought 2-1 victory.

Mumbai City FC will next face NorthEast United FC on Saturday, April 15, while Churchill Brothers have a date with Chennaiyin FC on the same day.

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