Mumbai City FC have finally managed to get back to rhythm as they registered their second win of the Indian Super League (ISL) 2015 when they outclassed FC Goa by 2-0 at the DY Patul Stadium in Navi Mumbai on Sunday.
One had expected it to be a thrilling encounter but Nicolas Anleka and his men in blue were too good for FC Goa. Although Zico's boys could have turned the game in the other direction, but they missed almost all their chances. A few of them could not have been easier.
FC Goa are still sitting at the top of the table but Zico will have to worry about a number of things. In their last few matches, the Goa based franchise have conceded a goal before they could find their way back into the game. They thought that they are capable of doing that yet again against Mumbai City FC, but the defense denied the visitors.
"It was a complicated game. We both had our chances, they scored we didn't but this is football. If you don't take your chances, you lose. It's a tough tournament with short games. Like last year anything can change in the last moment. And we don't care about anyone's result, only our results matter," FC Goa gaffer Zico said at the post-match press conference.
"This is a levelled tournament. All teams are the same. Teams don't have consecutive victories because there's little time to rest. And after no rest if you face an attacking team if might break your chain of winning."
Surprisingly, two of FC Goa's best players Mandar Rao Dessai and Romeo Fernandes were in the bench until they conceded two goals. Zico deployed them in the third quarter of the game and one would agree that it was too late a call.
On the other hand, Sunil Chhetri and Sony Norde yet again proved to be dangerous in the forward line and this is not a good news for the other teams. They look to be in great shape and NorthEast United FC manager Cesar Farias will have to find a way to stop these two in their next game on Wednesday.
"Extremely satisfied with the result and the performance. We were trying to have ball possession and control the game through possession but FC Goa started strong. We started playing 4-4-2, but had problems on the wings. We are set strong in counter-attacks but that's not our only plan, it just worked for us today," Mumbai City FC assistant coach Oscar Bruzon told the reporters on Sunday.
"Our combinations are working. We were at the bottom of the table. We are a strong team and we are very confident, and we will be in the top spot. The main problem is we have only 72 hours to prepare but we are taking the right measures and steps to win. We have already begun the recovery process, and the practice begins tomorrow."
