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Kerala Blasters FC crumbled after taking the lead once again as they lost 1-2 to Mumbai City FC in the 81st match of the 2020-21 Indian Super League (ISL). Following the result at the GMC Bambolim Stadium in Goa, the Blasters have now dropped 16 points from winning positions this season.
First half
Kerala Blasters FC started well with right-back Sandeep Singh getting on the end of a Sahal Abdul Samad pass before coming up with a cross. However, Mumbai City FC defender Mourtada Fall cleared it for a corner comfortably. Mumbai soon had a chance of their own when Raynier Fernandes hit a rasping shot, which was parried away by Blasters goalkeeper Albino Gomes.
Star forward Adam Le Fondre could have put Mumbai City FC ahead in the 11th minute, but he slashed his shot wide of the target. The opportunity came his way after Costa Nhamoinesu slipped when a long-ball was played into the Kerala Blasters FC box. Le Fondre missed another golden chance when he failed to hit the target once again after Hugo Boumous found him with a neat pass.
There was almost another contender for "Goal of the Season" when Jordan Murray struck the ball sweetly from distance, but Mumbai City FC custodian Amrinder Singh produced a cracking save. Eventually, Kerala Blasters FC took the lead in the 27th minute through Vicente Gomez. The midfielder bagged his second ISL goal by capitalizing on a free header after Sahal found him with an inch-perfect corner kick.
Kerala Blasters FC could have soon doubled their lead, but Amrinder dived full stretch to save Jordan Murray’s effort. Mumbai City FC had a couple of half-chances in the latter stages of the first-half, but Albino Gomes stood firm between the posts.
Second half
Just 20 seconds into the second-half, Mumbai City FC equalized through Bipin Singh. The duo of Cy Goddard and Hugo Boumous showed some good feet near the right side of the box before the former produced a scrappy shot. The stray ball rolled to the far post where Bipin Singh stayed alert to blast it into the net.
Kerala Blasters FC were looking to regain the lead and had a decent chance when Rahul KP made a good run and cut the ball for Jordan Murray, but the striker hit it straight at Amrinder Singh. A while later, Sahal delivered an in-swinging cross, but Rahul KP couldn’t get enough power on his header to test Amrinder from an acute angle.
Mumbai City FC squandered their chance of taking the lead when the ever-consistent Rowllin Borges struck the ball wide after Bipin Singh set him up for a shot. However, Kerala Blasters' Costa soon brought down Adam Le Fondre near the edge of the box to concede an unnecessary penalty. The Englishman made it 2-1 for Mumbai with a confident strike to the bottom-right corner from the resultant spot-kick.
Kerala Blasters FC tried hard to script a comeback, but the Tuskers lacked quality in the final third. In the final few minutes of the match, Mumbai City FC could have extended their lead. Bipin Singh’s cross made its way to Hugo Boumous, but the Frenchman’s shot was wide. Although there were more than nine minutes of injury-time, the scoreline remained the same.
ISL 2020-21, KBFC vs MCFC: Who was the Hero of the Match?
Mumbai City FC goalkeeper Amrinder Singh bagged the "Hero of the Match" award for his stellar performance between the posts. The likes of Bipin Singh, Raynier Fernandes, and Rowllin Borges all played well for the Islanders, but Kerala Blasters FC could have taken at least a point from the game, if not for Amrinder's heroics.
He made as many as nine saves, including a couple of crucial ones to deny Jordan Murray in the first-half. Amrinder's accurate goal kicks also helped Mumbai City FC to move forward quickly.
