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Mumbai City FC failed to take all three points against a 10-men Jamshedpur FC as the 28th match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League Season (ISL) ended with a 1-1 result at the GMC Bambolim Stadium in Goa. The league leaders, Mumbai City FC came up with a quick equaliser after Nerijus Valskis opened the scoring on the night.
But they failed to take advantage after Aitor Monroy was sent off in the 28th minute. The chasing pack in the ISL would be happy that Mumbai City FC slipped up with the chance to go five points clear at the top.
Quick start from both Mumbai City FC and Jamshedpur FC
The league leaders Mumbai City FC started quickly as Adam le Fondre cut the ball back to the edge of the box for Bipin Singh, but his touch let go of the opportunity. Mumbai City FC dominated the play in an expected manner, but Jamshedpur FC scored the first goal against the run of the play.
It was the 9th minute of the match when a loose pass from Bartholomew Ogbeche was intercepted by Jackichand Singh. The winger cut it back for Nerijus Valskis in an unselfish manner. The 2018-19 Golden Boot winner, Nerijus Valskis was never going to miss it as he pushed the ball past Amrinder Singh.
The Nigerian goal-machine, Bart Ogbeche redeemed himself quickly by scoring the equalizer in the 15th minute. The crisp shot from Ogbeche capped off a brilliant move from Mumbai City which involved both Adam le Fondre and Bipin Singh. Ogbeche could have probably had a first-half hat-trick or even more, but he was unusually off-colour with a number of miscued shots.
Ten-men Jamshedpur FC limit Mumbai City FC with a lot of tenacity
The game was supposed to turn completely one-sided after Aitor Monroy was sent off in the 28th minute. The Spaniard received a second yellow card for a tackle on Rowllin Borges after being already booked in the 14th minute.
A side like Mumbai City FC would be expected to dominate, especially when the opposition has only ten men. But the Red Miners showed a lot of grit to limit Mumbai City FC in the second half.
Jamshedpur FC and Nerijus Valskis almost thought they had stolen the lead in the 79th minute. The Lithuanian struck the back of the net, but the assistant referee held up the off-side flag to save Mumbai City FC.
ISL 2020-21, MCFC vs JFC: Who was the Hero of the Match?
Jamshedpur skipper and Scotsman Peter Hartley was the deserved ‘Hero of the Match’. Although the entire Jamshedpur side fought with all their might after Aitor Monroy was sent off, Peter Hartley stood tall to deny Mumbai City FC.
Hartley saved the day especially when he slid in to clear a superb cross from Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, which was aimed for Bart Ogbeche. Even though the statistics don’t reflect it, Hartley also made his presence felt whenever Mumbai City FC had a set-piece.
It was important that the Jamshedpur FC defense stayed alert to the danger posed by the likes of Mourtada Fall, Bart Ogbeche, and Adam le Fondre. And that is exactly what Hartley produced.
