In their first match at home of the year, Mumbai City FC defeated Kerala Blasters FC 2-1 on Sunday during the Indian Super League thanks to goals by Jorge Pereyra Diaz as well as Lalengmawia Ralte. With the victory, Des Buckingham’s team finished the competition unblemished after three rounds.
Prior to kickoff, there were lengthy lines around the Mumbai Football Arena despite the humid weather, with the number of visiting fans easily outnumbering that of the home team. Due to the presence of Nita Ambani and Thomas Bach, the president of the International Olympic Committee, the game was widely anticipated. There was also an unexpectedly large number of police officers, which gave the game a high-profile aspect.
A spirited confrontation took a turn for the worse during the closing seconds of the match. As tempers boiled on the field and in the dugouts, the referee issued up to 10 yellow cards. Along with that two straight reds were also given out during the game.
Ten minutes into the second half, Mehtab Singh of Mumbai was pushed to the ground by Kerala’s Milos Drincic, and chaos ensued. Yoell van Nieff and Drincic were both finally penalised for their roles in the altercation. Even though the hosts ultimately won all three games, the ISL, which is commemorating its tenth season, did not look good.
Mumbai City and Kerela Blasters play out a classic
Ngl u did the right thing @rostyn8 https://t.co/WvITIHLBuG pic.twitter.com/RNifG93Msj
— SP Musk ? ? (@musky1019) October 8, 2023
Although both sides attempted to settle into the game for the majority of the first half. It seemed on the pitch that it was not very entertaining at all. Mumbai attacker Diaz got on the receiver of a through pass in the ninth minute. However, to his dismay, Sachin Suresh denied him from close range.
Danish Farooq’s goal from the inside of the box gave the Blasters the equaliser during the 57th minute. They aggressively started the second half and it benefitted them. However, their happiness was short-lived as Ralte gave Mumbai the lead again nine minutes later. The Blasters’ defence failed to seize control of what appeared to be a non-threatening scenario. This resulted in yet another scrappy goal for the side. The game ended 2-1 in the favour of the hosts.
