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Defending champions Mumbai City FC sealed a victory over Chennaiyin FC when Vikram Pratap Singh tucked home a late winner at the PJN Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Sunday. Through this win, the Islanders ended a seven-game winless streak and also strengthened their semi-final chances.
It was a cagey affair but Des Buckingham's side dominated from the get go. MCFC spent most of their time on the attack but lacked the cutting edge in the final third. Igor Angulo had a chance to score the game's opening goal early on, but he underhit his effort and it was easily saved. Throughout the half, Chennaiyin FC kept matters solid at the back and Debjit Majumder made a few clutch saves to keep them alive.
The pressure was on head coach Bozidar Bandovic to up the ante in the second half and take the game to MCFC.
Click here to view the ISL winners list.
Chennaiyin FC's defense crumbles under Mumbai City FC's attacking pressure
Coming out after the break, Mumbai City FC continued with similar intensity. The Islanders kept racking up chances but failed to break down the Marina Machans. Chennaiyin FC's offensive game was lacking, and their defense gradually showed symptoms of unraveling.
Finally, MCFC managed to pull ahead. Bradden Inman, with his first touch of the game, charged down the right flank but his initial cross was blocked by Slavko Damjanovic. However, the rebound fell kindly for Inman and he chipped in a cross for Diego Mauricio. The Brazilian missed the header but it fell to Vikram Pratap Singh, who was behind Diego.
Vikram Pratap calmly tucked the ball past Debjit Majumdar to put MCFC ahead. Chennaiyin FC had a golden chance to equalize late on when Mohamad Nawaz saved a free-kick in stoppage time, but it was not cleared. The ball rolled around in the box before falling to Lukasz Gikiewicz, who attempted a shot but missed the target.
Mumbai City FC have galloped to fifth spot in the league standings with 22 points in 14 games. Meanwhile, Chennaiyin FC are seventh on the ISL table with 19 points.
