After a competitive draw in the first leg, Goa and Mumbai will lock horns for the crucial second leg semifinal game of Indian Football League 2020-21.
Match Timings: Mar 08, 7:30 PM IST
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Indian Football League 2020-21 entered in the playoff stage and we witnessed two cracking first leg semifinals. Tournament’s shield winner and league champions, Mumbai will eye maiden entry into the final. Islanders and Gaurs were involved in a hard-fought draw in the first leg semifinal and now they will look for the spot in the final. If the match ends in another draw, the winner will be decided on a penalty shoot-out.
The first leg game was pretty intense. It started in favour of Goa and Mumbai looked dull in the first few minutes. Gaurs took the lead after winning the penalty in the 20th minute through the season’s top-striker Igor Angulo. Mumbai replied back with an equalizer in the 38th minute, courtesy of Hugo Boumous' strike. The first half ended in a 1-1 draw. Saviour Gama provided Goa the lead in the 59th minute, but Sergio Lobero’s men didn’t wait much for the equaliser, courtesy of the Mourtada Fall strike. Both teams tried hard to find the winning goal, but the game ended 2-2.
Mumbai have been a top-class unit this year and Sergio Lobero put his heart into this team. Mumbai have scored 37 goals so far in 2020-21, most by any team, and they conceded just 20 to have the best goal-difference amongst all teams.
Meanwhile, Goa won the shield trophy last season but they lacked in the playoffs. Gaurs were supposed to finish at third but they failed to win their last game against Hyderabad. Goa’s campaign has been terrific but not better than 2019-20. Gaurs lost only three games this season and this is the joint least defeat margin by any team this season along with Northeast and Hyderabad. Goa would avoid last season’s mistake where they were knocked out in the semifinals. The hosts played 10 draws out of 20 games in league-stage and the first leg semifinal was their 11th draw of the season. Only Chennai and Hyderabad have played more draws than Goa in 2020-21.
Goa and Mumbai faced thrice in 2020-21. In the first game, Mumbai surprised Goa 1-0 with Adam le Fondre’s injury-time strike. The second game was more intense and both sides settled for a draw. Ishan Pandita netted an injury-time goal to hold Mumbai for a 3-3 draw. In a recent game, both sides settled for a 2-2 draw. If we calculate the aggregate number, Mumbai had the laugh with 6–5 overall but the second leg game’s result will matter the most. Goa are unbeaten from the last 14 matches and they have to produce a class game to stop Sergio Lobero and his fabulous Mumbai.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Goa
Dheeraj Singh Moirangthem, Seriton Fernandes, James Donachie, Adil Khan, Saviour Gama, Glan Martins, Edu Bedia, Princeton Rebello, Alexander Romario Jesuraj, Jorge Ortiz, Igor Angulo
Current Form: D W W D D
Mumbai
Amrinder Singh, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Mourtada Fall, Mehtab Singh, Mandar Rao Dessai, Ahmed Jahouh, Raynier Fernandes, Hugo Boumous, Bipin Singh, Adam Le Fondre, Bartholomew Ogbeche
Current Form: D W W L L D
Key Players
Goa
Igor Angulo
14 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jorge Mendoza
7 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Mumbai
Adam le Fondre
11 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Bartholomew Ogbeche
8 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
