Mumbai City FC suffered a painful 3-0 defeat at home to Punjab FC in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Tuesday.

Goals from Ezequiel Vidal, Luka Majcen, and Mushaga Bakenga handed the visitors their biggest away victory in ISL. Despite an early spell of dominance from the Islanders, the Shers matched them step for step, gradually gaining control of the match and demonstrating their clinical finishing to make the most of their chances and claim all three points.

Match Report: Mumbai City FC 0-3 Punjab FC

Head Coach Petr Kratky shared his thoughts in the post-match press conference, blaming the loss on poor execution and decision-making on the field.

“I’m not giving us excuses,” he began.

“We train together; everyone wants to play. It’s up to individuals, you know, how they understand each other, how they want to play, how they think. There were a lot of missed passes, and not understanding. You can see sometimes on the pitch—he passes, he’s not ready to receive. There are small things like that. I’m more disappointed in how we approach the game in terms of what we tell the boys and (they) try to execute it," Kratky added.

Punjab, executing their game plan flawlessly, took full advantage of Mumbai City FC’s weaknesses, converting three of their four shots on target to secure a much-needed victory. They stuck to their strategy and executed it with precision.

“Punjab did very well in terms of what they tried to achieve, and they achieved everything. They don’t press too high. They were waiting for a mistake, and we absolutely gave it to them today."

“For me, we were a little bit naïve. We just played between, when they waited to win the ball and go for a counter-attack. They are very good at it," Kratky opined.

The Islanders' defensive lapses remain a major concern for the coach, as they have now conceded 13 goals in eight matches. However, Kratky acknowledged the need for improvement in every department to help them climb the points table.

“Conceding (goals) is the problem—how we’re conceding, how we do the turnovers. We have to look at that type of stuff,” Kratky said.

“All areas need to improve because where we are on the ladder, how we played today, it’s just simply not good enough,” he added.

Captain Lallianzuala Chhangte was substituted for Noufal P.N. at the hour mark, a decision that Kratky elaborated on.

“(Lallianzuala) Chhangte is a very good player. He’s the captain of the team. But I look at the performance, at how he performed on the day. We thought Noufal’s speed could be damaging, but he struggled a little bit one-on-one with the full-back. He’s a young player who needs to understand his strengths.”

Despite their struggles, Kratky remains steadfast in his belief in the team’s philosophy but emphasises the need for greater consistency, particularly in midfield.

“We are clearly understanding how we want to play football. But every player has a decision to make. It’s about decision-making on the pitch. Midfield is very important for us—we have Jérémy (Manzorro), Jon (Toral), Jayesh (Rane), and Brandon (Fernandes)... When we dominate the midfield, we will have more opportunities. We just need to be patient, keep working, and believe in the way we go. But, also, we need to be critical because it wasn't good enough today."

The Islanders suffered their first home defeat in nine games and remained in 10th position with ten points from eight matches.

“First of all, I would like to apologise (to the fans) because I take everything on my own, and I’m very disappointed. I hate to lose, especially at home. Three-nil is just not good enough. If anyone wants to vent, vent on me, because I’m in charge, and I take full responsibility. But we appreciate everyone who comes on a weekday after work to support our team. I’ll make sure the next game is different.”

The Islanders, having dropped crucial points, will aim to regroup ahead of their next clash against Hyderabad FC this Saturday.

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