Pune City FC rally to win 2-1 against Mumbai City FC
MUCH TO MUMBAI’S DISAPPOINTMENT, ALFARO STRUCK AGAIN (90+3) TO EKE OUT A THRILLING WIN AND GIVE HIS TEAM THREE POINTS.
PUNE: Uruguayan striker Emiliano Alfaro struck twice, including one in the final minute of the game, as FC Pune City staged a remarkable fightback to beat Mumbai City FC 2-1 in the Indian Super league here on Wednesday. Balwant Singh struck for Mumbai City FC in the 15th minute.
Mumbai City FC went into the break leading 1-0. The visitors managed to maintain the lead till the 29-year-old Alfaro found the net in the 74th minute. Much to Mumbai’s disappointment, Alfaro struck again (90+3) to eke out a thrilling win and give his team three points.
Jonatan Lucca played the pass of the match over the defense from the halfway line. Diego Carlos got on the end of it and was one-on-one with the keeper with a teammate for support. He did the smart thing by setting up Alfaro who slotted the ball into an empty net. The match was sealed in Pune’s favour in the dying moments.
Earlier, the hosts restored parity when Alfaro converted a penalty from the spot after Raju Gaikwad brought Diego Carlos down in the box. The forward kept his calm and sent the keeper the wrong way to make it level.
FC GOA VS BENGALURU
FATORDA,GOA: After a disappointing result in Mumbai last weekend, FC Goa coach Sergio Lobera will look to bounce back to winning ways when his players take on in-form Bengaluru FC in the ISL here on Thursday.
But getting the better of tabletoppers Bengaluru won’t be easy. And the former Barcelona youth coach knows that. Speaking to mediapersons, Lobera said that Bengaluru were the strongest team in the ISL. But at the same time, he maintained his team would do its best to get the desired result. “Bengaluru know how we play and we know how they play. But what is important to me is that we need to maintain our ideas and philosophies and our style of play.
“We need to focus on our strategies and ensure we execute what we plan to do. Bengaluru FC are a strong team at this point in time.
“They have shown they are the team with the best form. For us, it will be important to get the right result against the team that has been most superior so far,” the Spaniard said.
INDIAN ARROWS WIN
BAMBOLIM, GOA: Life in top-flight domestic football began on a promising note for Indian Arrows as they relied on Aniket Anil Jadhav’s brace to blank Chennai City FC 3-0 in the I-league here on Wednesday.
A team comprising the best players from India’s U-17 and U-19 pool, Indian Arrows scored their first goal through Aniket in the 20th minute and doubled the lead when the striker found the net in the 58th minute.
Defender Boris Singh Thangjam, who, like Aniket, was also a part of India’s U-17 FIFA World Cup side, added to the tally by scoring in the 90th minute.