Mumbai City FC squandered an opportunity to climb back into the top four of the Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2019-20 table following a 1-1 draw against Hyderabad FC at the G.M.C. Balayogi Athletic Stadium in Hyderabad on Friday. A win would have helped the Islanders leapfrog Odisha into the coveted fourth spot, but the result keeps them in fifth position with 20 points from 14 matches.

  • Mohamed Larbi converted a penalty just before half time to give Mumbai the lead.
  • Hyderabad’s Marko Stankovic made it 1-1 after scoring a penalty in the dying minutes of the match.

After a scrappy start, Mumbai got the ball into the net in the 13th minute through Mohamed Larbi. Sarthak Golui’s teasing cross from the right was diverted back towards the danger zone by Diego Carlos. Larbi turned the ball into the Hyderabad net but the referee deemed the ball had crossed the byline during the initial cross.

Five minutes later, Amine Chermiti set Carlos free on goal but Hyderabad goalkeeper Laxmikant Kattimani managed to make a save. Hyderabad’s first chance of the match came soon after, with Marcelo Pereira taking a crack from distance. The effort was close, but not quite close enough to worry Amrinder Singh.

As the half progressed, the Islanders had more possession and looked the likelier to score and finally broke through in the 43rd minute. A Nikhil Poojary handball inside the Hyderabad box resulted in Mumbai being awarded a penalty. Larbi stepped up and converted the spot kick to give the Islanders a one-goal lead heading into the break.

The home team began the second half well and started playing in the Mumbai half. However, they lacked the quality final pass. Around the hour mark, Carlos found himself in space inside the Hyderabad box following a quick counter-attack but couldn’t sort out his feet in time to get his shot off.

Matthew Kilgallon, meanwhile, squandered two opportunities to draw Hyderabad level as he failed to place his headers on target from two separate corners. The Islanders came close to finding their second goal of the night in the 77th minute when Carlos seemed to have set Serge Kevyn up for a tap in at the far post with a low cross. It needed a last second intervention by Adil to mitigate the danger.

Despite both side’s best efforts, the scoreline stayed 1-0 in Mumbai’s favour until the regulation 90 minutes. In added time, however, there was a twist in store. Hyderabad won a late penalty after Bobo went down inside the box after a Pratik Chaudhari challenge. Stankovic converted the spot kick with poise to earn bottom-placed Hyderabad a point from the tie.

Hero of the Match – Adil Khan

Playing at the heart of the young Hyderabad backline, Adil had a sensational game, helping his team stay in the contest till the very end. The India international made a whopping 19 clearances on the night and had a passing accuracy of 84%. He was adjudged the Hero of the Match.

AWARDS

Club Award – Hyderabad FC and Mumbai City FC

Maruti Suzuki Limitless Player of the Match – Mohamed Larbi

DHL Winning Pass of the Match – Amine Chermiti

ISL Emerging Player of the Match – Sourav Das

Hero of the Match – Adil Khan

Watch the match highlights here: