Back of the second defeat against Highlanders, Mumbai will continue its campaign with a Wednesday clash against Kerala in Indian Football League 2020-21.
Match Timings: Feb 03, 7:30 PM IST
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After losing its previous encounters, Mumbai and Kerala kick off its February fixtures on Wednesday night. Mumbai’s long unbeaten record was broken by Highlanders on Saturday. It was the second defeat for Mumbai against Northeast. They remained unbeaten against all teams except the Highlanders. Northeast made all the difference in the first ten minutes with striking twice. Former Bengaluru forward Deshorn Brown delivered an early lead for Northeast through a superb volley. Brown didn’t stop there and completed a brace in just the 9th minute through a Federico Gallego corner-kick. Bipin Singh got a half-chance, but Jackichand Singh failed to connect his header. Bartholomew Ogbeche’s shot also went wide before the cooling break when he got a good cross from Bipin Singh.
Subhasish Roy Chowdhury also made a fine save to deny Ahmed Jahouh. Sergio Lobero’s men found the scoring through Adam Le Fondre, who sent the ball past Subhasish with a fine volley. Fondre came close for the equaliser, but he failed to keep his header down. In stoppage-time, Subhasish Roy denied the equaliser to Mehtab Singh. Mumbai’s long 12-matches unbeaten streak ended, and it gave a chance to Mariners for the top spot. Mumbai now have a 3-points advantage over the Mariners, and if Kerala produces an upset, Mumbai will be in deep trouble. The better goal difference gave them an edge to secure the top spot in the table and earn the AFC Champions League qualification.
Meanwhile, Kerala dropped points for the third successive match, and the Mariners took all three points from a 5-goals thriller in Fatorda. After missing the chance in the 5th minute, Kerala took the lead after 9 minutes through a superb goal from Gary Hooper. He produced a volley from 30-35 yards to surprise Arindam. Murray dominated in the first half and created few chances. After taking a 1-0 lead in the first half, Kerala looked perfect in the early second half. Costa doubled the lead in the 51st minute. Rahul KP flicked Sahal’s corner, and Costa sent the ball into the net.
Mariners didn’t take time to recover from two goals. Marcelinho replied back after eight minutes and scored a goal on his debut. After five minutes, Kolkata giants were awarded a penalty, and Roy Krishna brought Mariners into the game with a goal. Habas’ side is known for its dominant game in the second half, and they did it one more time. In the 87th minute, Krishan went past Jeakson and curled the ball into the net to seal three points. Kerala lost the game after taking a 2-0 lead, and the poor second half cost them a match. Kerala are still in the bottom three, and the playoffs' chances look dull from here. With five more games to go, Kerala are still 6-points behind to the fourth spot.
Possible Lineups & Current Form
Kerala
Albino Gomes; Sandeep Singh, Jessel Carneiro (C), Costa Nhamoinesu, Jeakson Singh, Rahul KP, Sahal Abdul Samad, Vicente Gomez, Juande, Jordan Murray, Gary Hooper
Current Form: L D D W D
Previous match: 3-2 defeat to Mohun B.
Mumbai
Amrinder Singh; Amey Ranawade, Mandar Rao Dessai, Mourtada Fall, Rowllin Borges, Hernan Santana, Hugo Boumous, Vignesh Dakshinamurthy, Jackichand Singh, Bipin Singh, Bartholomew Ogbeche
Current Form: L D W D W
Previous match: 2-1 defeat to Northeast
Key Players
Kerala
Gary Hooper
3 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Jordan Murray
6 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Mumbai
Adam le Fondre
7 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
Bartholomew Ogbeche
5 goals in Indian Football League 2020-21
