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Mumbai City FC clinched the 2020-21 ISL title with a 2-1 win over ATK Mohun Bagan in the final on Saturday. Bipin Singh’s title-winning goal came in the 90th minute, after a costly error from ATK Mohun Bagan’s Arindam Bhattacharja.
With the victory, Mumbai City FC became just the second side in ISL history after Bengaluru FC to top the league stage and also go on to lift the title.
ATK Mohun Bagan had the odds stacked against them having lost both matches against Mumbai City FC during the league stage. However, the Antonio Habas-managed side looked to put down a marker early on.
David Williams went for a long strike after seeing Amrinder Singh slightly off the line, but it went wide. Mumbai City FC’s star player Adam Le Fondre also went for a shot from distance, but it sailed high.
Referee Tejas Nagvenkar was in the spotlight in the 11th minute when Pritam Kotal brought down Bipin Singh. However, the referee asked Bipin to get up immediately, as he felt the contact was too feeble.
Mumbai City FC were given a massive wake-up call when Javi Hernandez’ stinging free-kick struck the cross-bar and went out.
ATK Mohun Bagan continued to pose trouble as Krishna tested Amrinder from an acute angle. Javi got to the end of the ball, after Amrinder’s save, but the Spaniard smashed the ball wide of the target.
The Mariners eventually took the lead due to a defensive mistake from Jahouh. Krishna pressurized Jahouh, who was caught napping in possession before poking the ball into the path of Williams. Thereafter, the Australian forward smashed the ball into the back of the net with utmost ease.
Out of nowhere, Mumbai City FC equalized through Tiri’s second own goal of the season. A long ball from Jahouh put ATK Mohun Bagan under trouble as Tiri produced a backward header to beat Arindam Bhattacharja.
The ISL Shield winners looked poised to take the lead, but Arindam denied Boumous with a point-blank save. After the cooling break, Mumbai City FC made a big miss as Bipin failed to get to the end of an inviting Le Fondre cross.
The first half came to a worrisome end, as Amey Ranawade had to be taken off in an ambulance after colliding with Subhasish Bose.
ISL Final Second Half: Mumbai City FC vs. ATK Mohun Bagan
ATK Mohun Bagan got a corner-kick early in the second-half and Manvir Singh set-up a shot for Lenny Rodrigues. Lenny struck it from outside the box, but it was deflected out for another corner.
At the other end, Arindam made a good save to keep out a fine free-kick from Hernan Santana. Mumbai City FC messed up a golden chance when Hugo Boumous skied the ball with an open goal waiting for him.
ATK Mohun Bagan and Krishna, in particular, were fuming with the referee when an own goal from Mohamad Rakip was ruled out. Krishna didn’t get a touch on the ball and the linesman raised his flag for off-side, as the Fijian interfered in the move.
If defensive mistakes earlier in the game weren’t enough, ATK Mohun Bagan gifted the title-winning goal to Bipin.
A long ball saw ATK Mohun Bagan goalkeeper Arindam race off his line to clear the ball, but he was put under huge pressure from Bartholomew Ogbeche. Ogbeche robbed the ball and jinxed past a couple of defenders, before playing a neat pass to Bipin. The winger kept his composure and found the bottom-right corner of the goal.
The goal came at the right time for Mumbai City FC as they sealed a victory over ATK Mohun Bagan and the ISL title too.
Who was the Hero of the Match?
Bipin Singh capped off a breakthrough ISL season by scoring the title-winning goal for Mumbai City FC. The left winger deservedly bagged the ‘Hero of the Match’ award for his superb performance on the night.
Bipin could have made an impact early in the match, but he was denied a legitimate penalty after clashing with Pritam Kotal. Bipin was kept quiet by Pritam in the first-half, but he made the biggest impact of the season with a neat finish in the 90th minute.
