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Mumbai City FC were up against Al-Jazira FSC in their third encounter in the AFC Champions League on Thursday. The Islanders seemed confident after recording a win against Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in their last match, with defender Rahul Bheke netting the winner.
The match kicked off with the Emirati side dominating possession in their opposition half. Mumbai City FC were hit with an early blow after right full-back Amey Ranawade was seen hitting the ground with an injury. Amey had to be taken off, with Mehtab Singh joining the action in his place. Rahul Bheke shifted to right-back following the change.
The game steadily turned into a nail-biting affair, with both sides putting up a fight for possession. Mumbai City FC almost had a goal in the 28th minute. Diego Mauricio's pass found Bipin Singh on the left side of the box but the winger's attempt was blocked.
Moments later, Ali Mabkhout's shot was blocked at the other end by Mohammad Nawaz. The Islanders custodian, who was a regular for the side in the Indian Super League (ISL), has been on the bench for the last two fixtures. H his performance in goal on Thursday justified his selection.
In the 40th minute, Al-Jazira FSC had a chance to go ahead in this fixture. Mehtab Singh handled the ball inside the box and the referee pointed to the spot. Ali Mabkhout stepped up and successfully converted the penalty. The goal gave the Spiders the lead going into the break.
Al-Jazira FSC hold onto their lead against Mumbai City FC
Des Buckingham introduced Vinit Rai in place of Bradden Inman at the restart. The second half was a continuation of the first, with both sides playing at a good tempo.
The Islanders had their first chance of the half coming from a corner. Lallianzuala Chhangte delivered the ball into the box, which was met by Mourtada Fall. The Islanders skipper tried to head it in but his attempt went wide of the mark. Vikram Partap Singh was introduced in the place of Diego Mauricio soon after.
Both sides were comfortable in possession and most of the duels took place on the edge of the final third. Ahmed Jahouh and Lalengmawia Ralte intercepted most of the moves and tried to initiate attacks from within their half.
Al-Jazira FSC played a decent high line of defense to catch Mumbai City FC attackers offside and were successful on most occasions.
The match ended in favor of Al-Jazira FSC at the end of the 90 minutes. The tie looked balanced except for the one error that took the game away from the Islanders.
