Mumbai City took on a determined FC Goa side in the Super Cup semi-final at the Pandit Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium in Goa, where the Islanders were edged out in a closely fought contest with a score of 2-1.
The game began at a rapid pace, leading to moments of uncertainty for both teams. Mumbai City’s defence faced an early test from an FC Goa corner but held firm under pressure. In the 5th minute, Akash Mishra won a free kick following a late tackle by Brison Fernandes, who was cautioned with a yellow card.
In the 20th minute, Brison got on the end of a well-delivered cross from the left flank and unleashed a first-time shot into the far corner to put FC Goa ahead. Shortly after in the 23rd minute, FC Goa continued to threaten down the left flank as they sent in another dangerous cross. The ball was headed clear but picked up by David Timor, who struck a long-range effort. Goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa fumbled the attempt, allowing the ball to cross the line and extend FC Goa’s advantage. Phurba was quickly tested once again through Timor’s free-kick from the edge of the box, but he reacted sharply to make a strong save, diving low to his left to keep the ball out. Mumbai City came close to pulling one back as Pereyra Diaz hit the post after a fast counter in the 42nd minute. The half ended with the score in FC Goa’s favour after four minutes of added time.
Zothanpuia came on for Jon Toral as Mumbai City started the second half with renewed urgency, winning a corner within 90 seconds of the restart, which was defended and cleared with by FC Goa. The pressure rose further when a careless challenge in the box by goalkeeper Hrithik Tiwari in the 50th minute brought down Jorge Pereyra Diaz as he chased a long ball, resulting in a penalty. Captain Lallianzuala Chhangte stepped up to take the spot-kick but put too much power behind the effort and sent it off target.
Mumbai City continued to press and earned another corner in the 54th minute but were denied by the FC Goa’s resolute defending. FC Goa caved under the persistent pressure in the 59th minute when Brandon finished a well-worked move. After a cutback from Pereyra Diaz, Brandon, under pressure from the defenders, found the bottom corner and brought Mumbai City back into the game. Pereyra Diaz continued to cause problems, coming close to equalizing in the 68th minute by skilfully beating two defenders before unleashing a dangerous shot that forced a save from Hrithik Tiwari.
The Islanders pushed hard in search of an equalizer but were unable to break down FC Goa’s compact defence as the hosts remained resilient. As the match wore on, neither side was able to find the decisive goal, and the game ended with FC Goa edging a closely contested encounter 2-1 to bring Mumbai City’s Super Cup campaign to a close.
