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Two goals in the first 11 minutes from Adam le Fondre and Hugo Boumous saw Mumbai City FC walk away with all three points against Kerala Blasters FC at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim. The win sees the Islanders move back to the top of the ISL table with 19 points.
Adam le Fondre opened the scoring in the third minute after converting a penalty conceded by Costa Nhamoinesu, following a misplaced pass from Vicente Gomez. Hugo Boumous doubled the score for the Islanders a few minutes later after a wonderfully-lobbed pass from Ahmed Jahouh found the Frenchman in the final third.
As far as the Kerala Blasters are concerned, the return of Costa Nhamoinesu to the side did little to inspire them. The pressure on Kibu Vicuna now intensifies with the loss and the Blasters management might reconsider their choice of the Spanish coach.
Here are four things we learned from Mumbai City FC's 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters.
#1 Mumbai City FC is the best attacking team this season
While the win sees Mumbai City FC reclaim the top spot on the ISL table, some of the attacking play from the Islanders has been spectacular. There seems to be a certain fluidity in their attacking play, something that has to be attributed to Sergio Lobera's attacking system.
In today's game, Adam le Fondre and Raynier Fernandes had the opportunity to score a few more goals and the margin of victory could have been even bigger for Mumbai City FC.
#2 Vicuna's team selection lets him down
Costa Nhamoinesu's return to the first-team saw Abdul Hakku relegated to the bench. Hakku's omission came as a surprise, given the fact that the 26-year-old was on the scoresheet in the 2-0 win over Hyderabad FC. Most Kerala Blasters fans also speculated on the match-up between Hakku and Adam le Fondre.
However, it was not meant to be as both Abdul Hakku and Rahul KP were benched in favor of Costa Nhamoinesu and Lalthathanga Khawlhring. This baffling team selection proved adverse for Kibu Vicuna and the Kerala Blasters.
#3 Albino Gomes plays out of his skin once again
Albino Gomes has been Kerala's best player this season. Against Mumbai City FC, Gomes was once again at his best by making a few important saves. However, the 26-year-old's defining moment came when he saved a penalty taken by Hugo Boumous — his fourth penalty save of the season.
#4 Pressure mounting on Vicuna to start churning out results
Kibu Vicuna's expression at the final whistle told a distinct story. The man was in pain, not only because of the loss to Mumbai City FC but also because he could not build on the confidence they gained by winning their last match. With just one win in eight matches, it is only a matter of time before the management starts looking for a change.
