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Mohun Bagan's Early Dominance: Mohun Bagan took an early lead with goals from an own goal by Tiri and a strike from debutant Alberto Rodriguez, going 2-0 up by the 28th minute.
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Mumbai City's Resilient Comeback: Despite falling behind, Mumbai City FC mounted a comeback with Tiri redeeming himself by scoring in the 70th minute, and substitute Thaer Krouma equalizing in stoppage time.
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Defensive Frailties Cost Mohun Bagan: Mohun Bagan's recurring defensive issues resurfaced, as they failed to hold onto their two-goal advantage, continuing a trend seen in their recent Durand Cup final loss.
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Tactical Changes and Substitutions: Mumbai City's late substitutions, especially bringing on Krouma and Brandon Fernandes, played a key role in securing the comeback.
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Missed Opportunities: Both sides missed key chances, with Mumbai City's Nikolaos Karelis failing to capitalize on an early cross from Lallianzuala Chhangte, which could have equalized the game sooner.
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Crucial Point for Mumbai City: Despite being without key players like Rahul Bheke and Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Mumbai City fought back to earn an important point on the road.
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Dabaso's men cashed in early as Mumbai veteran defender Tiri put his earlier team ahead with an own goal in the ninth minute, making amends for the veteran soon to score for Mumbai City, starting a comeback by his team in midfield.
Rodriguez to the Center of Action for Mohun Bagan
Mohun Bagan increased their lead with a great strike in the 28th minute, thanks to debutant Alberto Rodriguez. The defender scored off a defensive mix-up by Mumbai City after a Mohun Bagan corner. Dimitri Petratos's cross found Ashish Rai, who played an accurate ball into the box. Greg Stewart headed it down perfectly for Rodriguez strikes and made it 2-0
But the rains seemed to increase in their goodness as Mumbai City matched the other team's persistence. Halftime was well on the Mariners' side, but the second half told a different story.
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Mumbai City's Resilience
While the second half saw Mumbai City's forwards working overtime, Mohun Bagan, despite an early wild effort from Manzoro that shot over the bar, had a rare momentum shift in the game when Rodriguez, Mohun Bagan's back-line mainstay, went down with cramp in the 79th minute, leaving a huge gap for Mumbai City to get into.
In the 87th minute, Mumbai made their first substitution with Thaer Krouma and Brandon Fernandes. The substitute turned out to be the difference as he leveled the game in stoppage time of the match as he struck with a sweet Noufal play making it 2-2.
Missed Chances and Final Moments
Mumbai City, however, had managed to capitalize on some promising opportunities in the first half, such as Lallianzuala Chhangte's cross to Nikolaos Karelis at the 13th minute, but could not find their way into the back of the net until Tiri's goal in the 70th minute. Chhangte himself advanced with the cross but did not really stretch out fully and hence was unsuccessful at connecting the ball to the target as the chances for a leveling of the score went begging, and soon, Mohun Bagan doubled their lead.
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The Mariners also had a last-second appeal for a penalty in the last minutes of the game on a possible handball incident. However, the referee turned the claim down, and Mumbai City saw the game through to a dramatic draw.
Strategic Strategies
Mumbai City FC under the tutelage of Petr Kratky, had their formations in a 4-3-3 when they stepped onto the field, with the attacking trio being Chhangte, Bipin Singh, and Karelis. Even though they played without some of their key players such as Rahul Bheke, Alberto Noguera, and Jorge Pereyra Diaz, the team was still showing resistance during the game, courtesy of the substitutes.
Meanwhile, Jose Molina's Mohun Bagan came with a 3-5-2 formation, relying on their solidity in midfield, headed by Greg Stewart and Dimitri Petratos to propel his attack.
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Match Summary
Yet again, Mohun Bagan let a two-goal lead slip away, and that is a very familiar problem for the Mariners. Mumbai City showed resilience in the game and brought home a crucial point from their ISL opener. The adverse weather conditions did not help the team, and regulars were missing, but the changes in the final stages of the game by Mumbai City were decisive in deciding the game in their favor, leaving much for Mohun Bagan to introspect upon as the season unfolds.
Inputs by Times of India
Image Source: Multiple Agencies
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