Mumbai City FC edged out Hyderabad FC 2-1 at the Mumbai Football Arena on Sunday to notch up their first home victory of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 season. The three points also helped the Islanders break into the top four going into the new year.

  • Modou Sougou scored his first goal of the season to hand Mumbai the lead in the 6th minute.
  • Sarthak Golui was sent off for a double booking in the 67th minute, reducing Mumbai to 10 men.
  • Sougou made it 2-0 for Mumbai in the 78th minute but Bobo pulled a goal back for Hyderabad three minutes later.

Both sides began the contest with intent and created early chances on either end. First, Kamaljit Singh needed to be on his toes to keep out Diego Carlos’ swerving shot. Hyderabad, too, came close within the first two minutes but Bobo’s shot went just wide of the target.

The first goal seemed like it would only be a matter of time and the moment arrived in the sixth minute. Carlos bombed down the left flank, got to the byline and cut the ball back for Sougou. The 35-year-old did the rest and gave the home team an early lead.

As the match progressed, the Islanders started dominating proceedings but Hyderabad kept creating occasional chances of their own. Bobo had a free header at the far post around the 23-minute mark but failed to keep his effort on target. Ten minutes later, Rohit Kumar squandered another presentable headed opportunity to bring the visitors level. At the other end, Kamaljit pulled off a save to deny Serge Kevyn and kept the deficit restricted to just a single goal heading into the final five minutes of the first half.

In the 42nd minute, it took two goalline clearances by Asish Rai and a save by Kamaljit to stop the home team from extending their lead to two. The first half eventually ended with the scoreline reading 1-0 in the Islanders’ favour.

Seven minutes after the restart, Hyderabad were unlucky not to have equalised. Adil Khan slid in at the far post to meet a free kick but only managed to rattle the post. The ball, however, came back inside the crowded danger zone, took a wicked deflection off Pratik Chaudhari and seemed goalbound. Luckily for Pratik, Matthew Kilgallon was on the way and Mumbai were let off the hook.

Under pressure, the home side tried to slow down the game to disrupt Hyderabad’s surge in the second half. But the visitors kept probing and came close yet again in the 66th minute. Marcelo Pereira found himself with room to shoot and had Amrinder Singh beat. But the Brazilian’s shot, like his colleague Adil’s earlier in the half, hit the woodwork.

Seconds later, there was yet another twist in the narrative as Sarthak Golui received his marching orders after receiving his second yellow of the night. With a man down, Jorge Costa’s side tried to sit deep and soak in the pressure from Hyderabad, who piled men forward in their bid to erase the deficit.

It was the Islanders, however, who took advantage and scored the second goal. Bidyananda Singh’s long pass from the deep found Sougou, who saw Kamaljit off the line and promptly lifted the ball over the Hyderabad goalkeeper to make it 2-0 in the 78th minute.

Their two-goal advantage, though, only lasted three minutes. Bobo pulled a goal back for the visitors to set up an intriguing finish to the match. It turned out to be breathtaking final ten minutes or so, with the two teams trading chances in rapid succession. Hyderabad even hit the back of the net in added time as Amrinder’s block off Bobo’s shot fell to Kilgallon, who slotted it in. Unfortunately for Hyderabad, the defender was offside. The match eventually ended 2-1.

Hero of the Match – Modou Sougou

Sougou finally ended his goal drought this season, with two crucial goals on the night which eventually resulted in his team’s victory in a tight match. The striker took five attempts at the goal, of which four were on target. The 35-year-old also created a chance and deservedly won the Hero of the Match award.

AWARDS

Club Award – Mumbai City FC

Maruti Suzuki Limitless Player of the Match – Diego Carlos

DHL Winning Pass of the Match – Bidyananda Singh

ISL Emerging Player of the Match – Asish Rai

Hero of the Match – Modou Sougou

Watch the Match Highlights here:

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Hyderabad FCMumbai City FC 2019-2020Match Report