Bengaluru FC suffer first defeat of season

Second win for Mumbai FC

KUWAIT CITY, Dec 16: Holders Bengaluru FC suffered the first defeat of the season and with 13 points now occupies the third position on the points table while Mumbai City FC with the 3-2 win hauled themselves up to the sixth position with 10 points from eight matches.

It was in a keenly-contested Indian Super League match at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium Sunday. Subhasish Bose’s goal in the 12th minute gave Mumbai City an early lead, but an unfortunate Matic Grgic 58th own-goal gave the defending champions a lifeline. Then in the 77th minute Diego Carlos headed in what looked like the match-winner until Sunil Chhetri in the 89th converted from the penalty pot to equalize.

However, it was Rowllin Borges who scored the winner in the 94th minute as the Mumbai side grabbed their first win since the opening game.

The visitors broke the deadlock in the 12th minute. Larbi delivered a cross into the box from the left flank and the unmarked Bose rose above the Bengaluru defence to head in at the far post.

Bengaluru were unable to mount an immediate response as Mumbai continued to make inroads. A magnificent defence-splitting pass by Erik Paartalu caught the visitors’ defence unawares midway through the first half. The Australian found Udanta Singh into the box, but the winger failed to make use of the chance and lobbed his effort over the crossbar.

Mumbai threatened to double their lead before the break. A Modou Sougou strike on target was kept out by Gurpreet Singh Sandhu before the Senegalese striker set up Mohamed Larbi inside the box who blasted his

Udanta Singh (left) tussles for the ball with Rowllin Borges.

shot over the bar.

The visitors were awarded a penalty at the stroke of half-time when Amine Chermiti and Juanan ran into each other inside the box but Larbi was denied from 12 yards by the strong gloves of Gurpreet.

The Blues started the second half as the stronger side with intent to press higher up the field and Dimas Delgado nearly found an equalizer when the Mumbai defence failed to clear a long-throw-in into the box from the right flank. The Spaniard unleashed a curling strike from outside the box and Amrinder tipped it away for a corner

The pressure paid off as the hosts soon drew level thanks to an owngoal. Grgic accidentally sent the ball into his own net after an out-swinging corner-kick by Dimas ricocheted off the defender’s shoulder.

In the second half Sougou had an opportunity to regain his team’s lead in the 65th minute after he was released into the box by Larbi but the