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Mumbai City FC hosted NorthEast United FC in Match No. 71 of the Indian Super League (ISL) at the Pandit Jawaharlal Stadium in Fatorda. The last time the two sides met, Deshorn Brown was a nightmare for the Islanders, equalizing for his side on three occasions to end the match all square.
Mumbai City FC started the game on the front foot. The attack, consisting of Bipin Singh, Cassio Gabriel, Vikram Pratap Singh and Bradden Inman, pressed the Highlanders backline to force the opposition to play long, uncontrolled passes. However, NorthEast United seemed well-drilled against his mechanism.
Des Buckingham's side almost made it 1-0 when Mourtada Fall met an Ahmed Jahouh ball that was wrongly judged by Zakaria Diallo. Subhasish Roy, though, stood tall under the crossbar, denying Fall. However, moments later, Mumbai City FC were awarded a penalty for a tackle by Mashoor Shereef on Vikram Pratap Singh.
Ahmed Jahouh stepped up to take the spot-kick and placed it into the top corner away from the goalkeeper's reach, giving his side the lead.
Mumbai City FC turned on the heat after the goal. The free-flowing football that was on display was back and the Islanders had a golden opportunity to make it 2-0.
During a counter-attack, Cassio Gabriel found Bradden Inman in space and played him through. Inman sent the keeper the wrong way but ended up missing the chance.
NorthEast United FC get important equalizer against Mumbai City FC
The second half began with NorthEast United FC looking for a way back into the game. Gurjinder Kumar came close to scoring during a corner but the defender missed the target by miles.
The Islanders were not content to sit back and watch but it was the Highlanders who controlled the early exchanges. Suhair came close to scoring in the 56th when he chipped the ball through the crowd of defenders around him. However, his shot hit the frame of the goal.
Both sides had their chances as the match steadily turned into an end-to-end clash. Khalid Jamil made a few changes to his side. Patrick Flottmann was introduced for Marco Sahanek, Laldanmawia Ralte in the place of Mashoor Shereef and Mohamed Irshad for Sehnaj Singh.
Moments after the cooling break, Mohamed Irshad scored a much-needed goal for NorthEast United FC. A corner taken by Marcelinho was cleared but fell at the feet of Imran Khan who passed it to Irshad. He took a shot on the go and the ball ended up inside the net of the Mumbai City FC goal.
The Islanders then had a brilliant opportunity to regain their lead. Amey Ranawade sent the ball into the NorthEast United FC box and Cassio Gabriel was in the right place to meet it. However, the Brazilian midfielder's shot was turned by Subhasish.
Towards the end of the match, Amey Ranawade received his marching orders after impeding Marcelinho during a counter. However, the scoreboard remained unchanged as the two sides settled for a point each.
