Mumbai players celebrate after going 2-1 up.Mumbai City FC picked up a long-awaited win after they trumped Atlético de Kolkata 2-1 in a riveting encounter at the DY Patil Stadium, Navi Mumbai. Lalrindika Ralte opened the scoring in the first half with substitute Baljit Sahni equalising for Kolkata. Former German international Manuel Friedrich scored the winner for the home side to keep their hopes of a semifinal berth alive.It was a frantic first half with both teams threatening in equal measure. The home side kept possession of the ball for longer spells and directed their forward through returning forward Nicolas Anelka. Kolkata keeper Apoula Edel Bete was forced into making some good saves, but opposite number Subrata Paul was also kept busy throughout the half. The first real chance of the match came in the 3rd minute as Mohammed Rafi cut the ball back for Borja Fernández, who fired a shot from the edge of the area that went just wide.Mumbai City’s pressure finally told in the 40th minute when Tiago Ribeiro collected a ball over the top, ran down the right and cut back beautifully for Lalrindika Ralte. The Mumbai City’s composed finish gave his side a vital lead. Kolkata pushed hard for the remainder of the half but were unable to equalise before half time.Mumbai certainly looked the stronger of the two teams in the second half as they looked to double their lead. It was short-lived however, when a clever set piece from Luis Garcia saw the away side equalise. A free kick on the right just outside the box was rolled to Borja on the edge of the area, who played the ball into the box. Sahni stepped in and smashed home to level the scores.The home side knew that even a draw would knock them out of the tournament, and they pushed forward looking for the goal to restore their lead. Abhishek Yadav had a glorious chance when substitute Subhash Singh burst through the defence and put in a superb low ball, but the veteran striker’s first touch was off and the chance was missed. Less than four minutes later, however, Mumbai went back in front. Ralte floated a free kick into the box, and Friedrich lost his marker and headed past Edel to send the DY Patil crowd into a frenzy.Kolkata pushed hard in the dying minutes to equalise again, and Arnal Llibert had the ball back in the net right at the end, but it was rightly disallowed for offside, and Mumbai City held on for a nervy win.The loss leaves the away side in a precarious position as they travel back home to face a rampaging FC Goa side on December 10. A victory against Goa will see them through. Mumbai City play NorthEast United FC in Guwahati on the same day and will also require a big win to have hopes of going through.Match Awards:Hero of the Match: Lalrindika Ralte (Mumbai City FC) (Watch here)Swift Moment of the Match: Subrata Paul (Mumbai City FC) (Watch here)Amul Fittest Player of the Match: Borja Fernández (Atlético de Kolkata)ISL Emerging Player of the Match: Asif Kottayil (Mumbai City FC)
