From the movement of Lobera to Noguera across teams, from a 7-0 win by the Gaurs in 2015 to a 5-3 win by the Islanders in 2023, the rivalry between FC Goa and Mumbai City FC in the ISL has always been a feisty affair on and off the field. This fixture, in the past, has always produced a lot of goals, but this time, things were different as both teams settled for a goalless draw at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa. As it stands, neither team is yet to lose a game in ISL this season.
As for the Islanders, the excitement began even before the game began as it was Petr Kratky’s first game as head coach of the team. Kratky fielded the same starting 11 that defeated Bengaluru FC in the last game. On the flip side, Manolo Marquez just made a single change to the starting lineup from their victory against Kerala Blasters in the last game. Rowllin Borges who was injured, was replaced by Udanta Singh. In Rowllin’s absence, Raynier Fernandes slotted in the midfield alongside Carl McHugh.
Both sides were looking to establish their dominance in the game, as they were off to a cautious start. Boris Singh’s feeble attempt towards Phurba Lachenpa gave the Gaurs their first shot on target about ten minutes into the match. With a deft flick, Victor Rodrigues picked Noah Sadaoui in the box, creating the game’s first significant opportunity in the 16th minute. Noah unleashed a powerful shot on goal, but Lachenpa was up to the challenge, as he parried the shot away for an FC Goa corner.
El-Khayati missed the target with a shot from just outside the box in the 20th minute after a brilliant passage of play from Mumbai City FC’s front three. A few minutes later, El-Khayati played an impressive ball to find Akash Mishra on the left wing, but Odei cleared the latter’s cross. In the 28th minute, Odei received the first yellow card of the match after the center-back tackled Jorge Pereyra Diaz at the halfway line. Stewart found Akash Mishra on the left wing with a wonderful ball at the 35-minute mark, but Akash’s cross was once again not good enough.
In the 38th minute, Vikram Pratap Singh received a booking for a tackle on Udanta Singh. Just before half-time, Carl McHugh made a brilliant tackle to win back possession from Rostyn Griffiths in the middle of the park. He then released the ball to Udanta, who quickly found Noah who attempted an outside-of-the-foot finish, but his attempt was unsuccessful. Two minutes were added on at the end of the first half which ended 0-0, which, considering how the two sides had performed, was a fair score.
Vinit Rai and El-Khayati were replaced by Lallianzula Chhangte and Van Nieff as Petr Kratky made two substitutions to commence the second half. Ten minutes into the second half, Stewart and Vikram combined brilliantly on the right flank as the latter fired a cross towards Akash Mishra at the far post, but his attempted header towards the six-yard box was easily gathered by Arshdeep Singh. The Islanders made another change at the one-hour mark when Bipin Singh took the place of Vikram Pratap Singh, who was on a caution.
Seriton played a deft ball to Victor in the box, but Rostyn Griffiths produced a great interception that resulted in a corner for FC Goa. Victor took the corner which ricocheted on the six-yard box before falling to Carl McHugh, whose shot was blocked by Rostyn Griffiths. In the 69th minute, Greg Stewart found Jorge Diaz in the six-yard box, giving Mumbai City FC their best chance of the game. However, Jhingan, who committed an error initially, was in the right position at the right time to block the effort. Victor Rodriguez attempted to find Boris Singh with a line-breaking through pass in the 71st minute, but Griffiths was there once more.
Paulo Retre took Victor’s position a short while after. Retre and Noah linked up well in the 78th minute, with Noah curling a cross toward Boris at the far post, but Akash Mishra made an outstanding block to keep the score intact. Apuia was given a yellow card for fouling Boris Singh a few minutes later. In the 80th minute, Jay Gupta struck an explosive effort from just outside the box, but it graced the side netting. Both head coaches made a few substitutions: Jayesh Rane took Akash Mishra’s place for the Islanders, and Carlos Martinez and Saviour Gama entered the game for the Gaurs replacing Noah and Udanta.
Boris recovered the ball from Van-Nieff in the 85th minute with a superb tackle. He subsequently passed it to Victor, who then gave it back to Boris, whose shot was once again off target. Moments later, Jayesh Rane and Jorge Diaz combined brilliantly, but the latter’s shot was off target. At the end of the second half, five more minutes were added. When Chhangte tried to find Stewart with his cut-back early in stoppage time, the Islanders had a great chance to take the lead, but Paulo Retre made a vital interception to preserve the scoreline. The game finished 0-0 despite plenty of chances for both teams.
Manolo Marquez will be pleased with his team’s performance as they maintain their perfect start to the season, but he would undoubtedly be disappointed with the strikers for not being able to find the winning goal. On the other hand, Petr Kratky would be pleased to begin his tenure at Mumbai City with a victory over an excellent Goa team. The Islanders play another game in this Matchweek against Carles Cuadrat’s East Bengal, while the Gaurs get a 10-day break before playing Mohun Bagan Super Giants in Matchweek 11.
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