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Mumbai City FC made it to the 2020-21 ISL final with a 6-5 score-line in the penalty shoot-out against FC Goa in the second-leg of the first semi-final. The game ended 0-0 after two hours of an intense battle, but it eventually reached a conclusion as Rowllin Borges scored the crucial penalty to put Mumbai City FC in the final.
Having come into the second-leg with a 2-2 result in the first-leg, Mumbai City FC manager Sergio Lobera made the big decision to name Bartholomew Ogbeche on the bench. Meanwhile, Juan Ferrando welcomed back Ivan Gonzalez and Alberto Noguera, while Igor Angulo dropped to the bench.
FC Goa showed right from the start that they were ready for battle, as Adil Khan did superbly to win a fair challenge and rob the ball of Amey Ranawade, who had made a dangerous run down the flank. Mumbai City FC got a half-chance in the 7th minute when Mourtada Fall headed the ball across goal for Raynier Fernandes, whose weak shot was saved by Dheeraj Singh.
After starting the game well, Adil could have very easily given away a penalty when Hugo Boumous went down after making contact with the FC Goa centre-back. However, the referee deemed it to be too soft and waved play on. FC Goa got a huge chance after Jorge Ortiz Mendoza brought down a long ball, before laying it on for Saviour Gama. Saviour passed the ball to Alberto Noguera, who saw his weak shot parried away by Amrinder Singh.
The ball fell kindly for Tlang, but he was denied by Ranawade, who came up with a fantastic diving block. At the other end, Mumbai City FC got a set-piece just outside the box, but it was smashed over the target by Boumous after Ahmed Jahouh rolled the ball to him.
Mumbai City FC custodian Amrinder was called into action early in the second-half to push away a decent strike from Alexander Romario Jesuraj. Saviour almost scored what would have been a replica of his goal from the first-leg, but Amrinder did well to push it away this time. Boumous got hold of the loose ball in the box, but his strike from close range was blocked by Adil.
The ISL Shield winners came close when Le Fondre got hold of a low cross and struck it across goal, but Adil rescued his team with a sliding challenge. The entire Mumbai City FC side went up in arms for a penalty, but the referee denied it as the ball only struck Adil’s chest.
The game turned end-to-end as Amrinder was forced to come up with a fantastic save after substitute Ishan Pandita produced a diving header. FC Goa almost pulled the game off in the final few seconds when Bedia delivered an amazing free-kick, but a hesitant James Donachie failed to connect with a free header. This missed opportunity meant the game went into extra-time.
FC Goa got a chance immediately, but Pandita’s shot was blocked. Thereafter, the Gaurs almost messed up a free-kick delivered by Jahouh, but Ivan Gonzalez made a crucial interception before the ball was cleared away.
Hernan Santana almost dropped the match in the second-half of extra time with a poor back-pass, but Amrinder raced off his line with a clearance with Pandita rushing in to latch onto the ball. Mumbai City FC also got a wonderful chance, but Raynier Fernandes skewed his shot from the edge of the box and the ball deflected off Rowllin Borges for a goal-kick.
The game went to a penalty shootout and both managers decided to switch their goalkeepers. Naveen Kumar replaced Dheeraj Singh while Sergio Lobera also surprisingly subbed off Amrinder Singh for Phurba Lachenpa. Many established players succumbed under pressure, but Borges held his nerve and put Mumbai City FC into the final, after a total of 18 penalties.
Who was the Hero of the Match?
FC Goa’s Ivan Gonzalez bagged the ‘Hero of the Match’ award for a tireless performance in the second-leg of their semi-final against Mumbai City FC. Gonzalez started as a right-back in place of the injured Seriton Fernandes and produced a passing accuracy of 78%. He also came up with four clearances, three interceptions and one tackle.
