Mumbai FC stop HAL run
Mumbai FC 1 HAL 0
AGENCIES
KOLHAPUR, DEC 13
Mumbai FC stopped HAL Bangalore’s fine run in away matches as they defeated the Bangalore based side by a solitary goal in their third round tie of the I-league played at the Sahu Maharaj ground, here, on Monday.
Subrata Bhattacharya coached side did take a cautious approach in the first half and watched their opposition’s tactics, and their patience did add flavor in their second half performance as the change of tactics in the second half worked well for them.
Both the teams came into the match with six points each, but for Mumbai FC, their performance in the home ground so far gave them a slight edge over their opponents. After a goalless first half, it was the second half which saw Mumbai FC’s Nigerian striker, Ebi Sukore capitalizing on midfielder Nicolas Rodrigues’s pass to score the winner in the 64th minute.
Though HAL did get their fair share of chances, but they were kept at bay by the Mumbai FC defenders, who were rock solid at the back.
“I am happy with today’s result and we are in a good position now. We did get three chances in the first half, but to our own despair, we squandered all of them. In the second half, I changed the tactics and it helped us to dominate the match completely,” said a proud Mumbai FC coach, Subrata Bhattacharya, whose side completed hat-tricks of wins to see them third in the I-League points table.
“Not only one attack, but there were two or three times we opened from the left wing. These three points are very crucial in the I-league. If we keep our momentum going, we can finish really well in the I-League,’’ added Bhattacharya.
