Mumbai City FC registered a thumping 6-1 victory over Odisha FC in Match 105 of Hero Indian Super League (Hero ISL) 2020-21 at the GMC Stadium in Bambolim on Wednesday. After an early goal for Odisha FC from the spot converted by Diego Mauricio, Bipin Singh bagged a hat-trick and Bartholomew Ogbeche scored a brace for the Islanders. Cy Goddard was the third goal-scorer on the night for Mumbai City FC.

At the post-match presentation, Islanders head coach Sergio Lobera lauded his team’s performance and said that sticking to his preferred tactics helped them to the win. “I am very happy with the performance of the team. The mistakes we made in the last games… because we were trying to play individually. It is very important to be loyal to our style of play. Against Odisha FC, we were very strong as a team.”    

Lobera was also proud of the fighting spirit shown by his players having conceded early in the game. “In terms of results, this was the best [performance]. But the most important thing for me is not the result, it is how the team got the result. We reacted well from a difficult condition, having conceded a penalty early,” he said.

With the three points, Lobera’s side moves closer to the top spot and a win over ATK Mohun Bagan on Sunday will guarantee them the top spot for sure. Sharing his thoughts ahead of the crucial tie, the Spanish head coach said, “We need to focus on ourselves. We need to improve in every game. We need to be ambitious. ATK Mohun Bagan are also doing an amazing job. It is going to be an amazing match.”

Watch Sergio Lobera's Post-Match Press conference here:

Meanwhile, Odisha FC interim head coach Steven Dias admitted they were expecting a tough match against a very formidable side. “This is one of the best teams in the league. I never faced such a tough team before. They are a very good side so it was tough for us,” Dias said after the game.

 “The first half would have been good if we hadn’t conceded goals from set-pieces. I knew we were playing one of the best teams in the league so we were compact and we got the lead also. But I am proud of my boys, they worked very hard.”

Odisha FC skipper Steven Taylor was playing his 400th career game but had to leave the field due to injury with the scores level. “It was very sad. We were 1-1 when he got injured. If you see in our squad, there are many players who are injured. I don't have many options for that position. It’s very disheartening because after his injury, we conceded the goal,” Dias rued Taylor’s injury.

Watch Steven Dias' Post-Match Press conference here: