ISL 2020-21 BFC vs MCFC Highlights: Mumbai City thrashes Bengaluru 3-1

Welcome to Sportstar's ISL 2020-21 highlights of Mumbai City's 3-1 win over Bengaluru FC.

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That brings us to the end of our ISL coverage for the day. We will be back tomorrow for the tantalising clash between SC East Bengal and FC Goa [PREVIEW]. Until then, you can follow our entire ISL coverage here. Goodnight!

REPORT| ISL 2020-21 news: Mumbai City trounces Bengaluru to hand it a third straight loss

Over to the post match comments now.

Mumbai City FC coach Sergio Lobera: "I am very happy with the win because playing against Bengaluru FC is always difficult. They are a competitive team. We played well, especially in the first half. We took our chances and I am very happy to have won three points against a very good team."

[On whether he banked on his forwards or Fall and Amrinder Singh at the back] "The most important thing in football  is balance. We are playing attacking football and trying to score goals but finally we have to work in balance. We are working very well in defence, even without the ball to recover the ball and press the opposition."

Podcast: Shyam Vasudevan and Aashin Prasad review the best of Indian Super League in the year 2020 on The Full Time Show.

 

"We need to work on a lot of things and need to improve, but till now the results are very good. I have a very good squad and I am very happy not only with the starting XI but also with the players coming off the bench as well."

Bengaluru FC coach Carles Cuadrat: "It's true that it has been three successive loses for us, but two have been against ATK Mohun Bagan and Mumbai City FC - two teams that have shown lot of consistency. We have to improve a lot in different sections. For today, it was a match plan that we tried to catch them on the counter. We missed the early chance and then they took advantage from the set piece. Erik [Paartalu] was not playing and he is the one who usually marks [Mourtada] Fall.

We had plan to try and make it difficult for them. We saw that in their last games they were winning 2-0 or 3-0...they are a team that has troubles if you go for a high press."

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[On his previous games against Lobera's teams] "Our previous games against Lobera's teams always saw close results. It's what we were preparing for but as soon as they got first goal they got comfortable. They were in a very good dynamic and then easily made it 2-0. It was asking a lot of attention from the players to come back from that. But the players gave it everything and came back to make it 2-1 and were pushing to try and  take a point."

[On Udanta] "His best career was when he joined us and we became champions that season. He was helping a lot in that season to make us champions along with Sunil [Chhetri]. I think Indian football has evolved well since. It's not as easy for Sunil and him as it was before. There is no excuse, we have to work on that make the right decisons. Udanta and Fran [Gonzalez] came into the game with muscle problems and that's why they only played in the second half."

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Mumbai City FC's Bartholomew Ogbeche: "We wanted to be back on top and I am delighted we did the job. It's was a good goal but what matters is the win. We try to be loyal to our style of play, which is dominating. There is room for improvement, but we are working to where we want to be. We could not be happier with a win tonight against a team as strong as  BFC. Hopefully we can keep riding this wave."

[On not starting all the games and the competition with Adam le Fondre] "It is tough to be fair. I think if we need to get over the finish line we need more than two players. The team objectives are more important than individual objectives. Adam and I are important players and the coach makes the decision. What is paramount is for team to be on top. Being less visible does not make me less of a leader. When I am called upon you can bet I will answer the bell. Hopefully things will change and I get more gamtime. I try to be positive because being pessimistic is corrosive. The intention to win is what we are all about. We push each other and at the end of the day we want the team to win. I am happy to have a teammate like him."

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Mumbai City FC puts up a dominating display to hand Bengaluru FC a 3-1 thrashing. The result sees Sergio Lobera's side consolidate its position on the top of the points table with a two-point lead over ATK Mohun Bagan, while Bengaluru remains rooted at the fifth spot.

Mourtada Fall scored the opener in the ninth minute with a strong header and Bipin Singh doubled the side's lead six minutes later with a fantastic finish.

RELATED| ISL 2020-21: Points table, goals scored, goal difference; Mumbai City moves top  

Bengaluru had a lease of life when Sunil Chhetri struck from the spot in the 79th minute, but the side's hopes of a comeback were dashed when Bartholomew Ogbeche sealed the tie with a header in the 84th minute.

This is Bengaluru FC's third successive loss - a first for the side since it joined the ISL. More on that here - ISL 2020-21 news: Mumbai City trounces Bengaluru to hand it a third straight loss

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FULL-TIME! Mumbai City FC storms back to the top of the ISL table with a commanding 3-1 win over Bengaluru FC.

90+3' Cleiton threads a lovely ball to release Opseth into the box, but Fall does extremely well to track the run and block the Norwegian's strike. Fall has been terrific today.

90' Four added minutes to be played. Can 10-man Mumbai City hold on for its seventh win of the season?

87' Ogbeche is the latest player to go into the ref's book for a tackle on Opseth. Change for Mumbai City - Bipin is replaced by Mehtab Singh.

87' Almost a sense of deja vu for Jahouh as he was sent off against Bengaluru FC during the 2018-19 final.

86' Jahouh is sent for an early shower. He catches Dimas on the knee with a poorly timed tackle and is shown a yellow card. Jahouh becomes the first player to get two red cards this season.

84' OGBECHE SCORES! He finds the back of the net this time as he nods in a corner to restore Mumbai City's two-goal cushion. He connects well with the corner to get his header on target and Gurpreet seems to have it under control but ends up spilling it into his net.

83' Off the post! Ogbeche fires a strong header off Jahouh's free-kick, but he is denied by the post! Gurpreet stood rooted there.

82' That will be Khabra's last contribution for today as he is replaced  by Semboi Haokip.

82' Khabra picks up a yellow card for a tackle on Vikram. Khabra will miss the next game as this is his fourth booking of the season.

78' Chhetri scores from the spot! Chhetri goes for power and beats Amrinder to find the back of the net. This is Bengaluru's first goal in three games.

77' Penalty to Bengaluru! Cleiton darts into the box and Fall wins the ball off him cleanly, but the ref points to the spot.

75' Double change for Mumbai City: Cy Goddard replaces Boumous, while Mandar makes way for Vikram Pratap.

74' A mix-up between Fall and Boumous offers Bengaluru a sliver of of hope as Chhetri prepares to have a go at goal, but Fall recovers well to thwart the danger.

72' Over ambitious there from Fran. He has a go from 40 yards out and it skies it into the stands.

70' Borgesssss....good save from Gurpreet. He drills a powerful low drive from the edge of the box but Gupreet is up to the challenge and makes a strong block.

66' Substitutions for Mumbai City - Bartholomew Ogbeche comes on for Le Fondre, while Vignesh D. replaced Raynier.

65' Bengaluru is seeing a lot more of the ball in the second half and the introduction of Udanta has injected some much-needed pace up front.

63' STAT: Bengaluru has failed to score a goal in its last two matches, a first for the side in the ISL.

60' Chhetri picks up a yellow card for a late tackle on Ranawade. This is the Bengaluru skipper's first booking of the season.

 

59' Dimas takes the free-kick but it's a poor one that fails to find a teammate or trouble the 'keeper.

58' Third change for Bengaluru as Fran Gonzalez comes on for Bheke.

57' Chhetri is brought down by Ranawade and Bengaluru has a chance to convert a set-piece. Ranawade is shown a yellow for that tackle.

54' Opseth registers the first shot of the second half as he has a go from distance, but his strike is nowhere near the target.

52' A lack of communication between Fall and Amrinder sees the former  scamper to clear the ball for a throw-in. Can Bengaluru capitalise?

50' Here's an interesting stat: Mumbai City has conceded only once in the second half while seven of Bengaluru’s 11 goals have come in the second period of games!

47' Almost a chance for Mumbai. The corner is played short for Boumous to rifle it home, but he gets none of the ball and Suresh clears the danger.

46' Cuadrat makes two changes as Udanta Singh replaces Deshorn Brown, while Ajith Kumar comes on for Pratik.

46' KICK OFF! And the second half gets underway.

HALF-TIME: Mumbai City FC leads 2-0.  My word, what an intense half of football that was. Mumbai City has seized control of this game, and in style. Mourtada Fall bagged the opener in the ninth minute with a strong header and Bipin Singh doubled the side's lead six minutes later with a fantastic finish.

Bengaluru struggled to find its footing in the opening half. The side had a couple of half chances, but nothing beyond that and has been left to play catch up. Cuadrat's men have an uphill challenge to try and overturn the deficit, or they will slip to a third successive defeat.

 

45' Strong block! It's a 3v4 situation as Boumous darts down the centre and feeds it to Bipin on the left flank. The goal-scorer cuts it back for Le Fondre in the box, but his shot is blocked. Chhetri has a chance at the other end as Cleiton finds him with a precise chip, but the skipper's header lacks pace. Two minutes to be added on.

43' Decent chance for Bengaluru from the corner. It's a training ground routine as each Bengaluru player picks out a a Mumbai City defender to allow Juanan to make an unmarked run on the far post. He heads the ball into the centre, but the referee awards Mumbai a free-kick as Opseth fouls Amrinder while vying for the ball.

41' Cleiton strikes it extremely well as his strike loops over the wall and dips perfectly, but Amrinder reads it well to parry away. The Mumbai City 'keeper clatters against the post on his way down and is getting some medical attention.

40' Jahouh is booked for a foul on Opseth and Bengaluru has a free-kick from a dangerous position just outside the box.

39' Another set-piece chance for Bengaluru and Opseth takes the free-kick, but his strike zooms just past the crossbar.

37' Another wonderful move from Mumbai City as Mandar races down the left and squares it for Le Fondre. The defence is alert to block le Fondre's strike. Mandar should have perhaps have gone for goal himself!

34' Bengaluru wins a free-kick, but the set-piece opportunity slips away. Cuadrat's side is struggling to create anything in the final third.

31' Khabra is very lucky to escape a booking here. He elbows Bipin in the back of the head but surprisingly isn't shown a card.

30' STAT: Mumbai City has scored 10 goals in the first half this season, the most by any club.

 

28' A rare attacking move from Bengaluru down the left and Chhetri tries to weave his way into the box but the ball is cleared to safety.

25' Here's a stunning fact: All 10 of Mourtada Fall's goals in the ISL have been headers. He is now only one goal away from equalling Sunil Chhetri's record of 11 headers.

22' Mumbai City stamping its authority here with 70 percent of possession. Bengaluru trying to play it out from the back but it is of little avail.

19' Bengaluru in all sorts of trouble here. The passes just aren't clicking and the the early goals have completely put the side off. Cleiton tries to find Opseth upfront and the latter has run in the opposite direction!

 

15' Bipin makes it 2-0 to Mumbai! It's a wonderful team goal that leads to the second goal as Mandar floats a delicious cross from the left and Bipin converts with aplomb to double his side's lead. Bipin managed to sneak between Juanan and Bheke with such ease and Cuadrat most certainly will not be happy with that. The Bengaluru defence seems lost at sea.

11' That could nearly have been 2-0! Suresh loses the ball cheaply and offers Mumbai a golden chance. Jahouh wins the ball and chips it for Bipin, who cuts it back for Le Fondre. The English striker, though, has his shot deflected.

9' GOAL TO MUMBAI CITY! Mourtada Fall scores the opener. The goal comes from a set-piece as Bipin's looped corner is headed across the goal by Santana. Fall rises above Juanan to nod the ball into the net.

8' And now it's Mumbai's turn! Raynier fires a brilliant cross from the right and  Gurpreet make a clever fingertip save to take it away from Bipin. Le Fondre has a go, but it's deflected for a corner.

5' Excellent play from Bengaluru. A brilliant set-piece routine leads to a fine goal-scoring chance as Chhetri drills a low cross from Dimas' free-kick, but the defence clears it away.   

3' Brown!!! What a start that would have been! Cleiton plays a fine lob down the right and Brown is 1v1 with the 'keeper, but blazes his shot off target.

1' KICK OFF! Bengaluru, the designated home side, attacks from left to right. Strangely, Dimas knocks the ball out of play right away..

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7:25pm: Bengaluru in its traditional blue kits while Mumbai City dons its yellow away jerseys.

7:20pm: Let's put your ISL knowledge to the test. Who has scored the fastest brace so far this season? Check out our quiz here: ISL 2020-21 Quiz — From quickest brace to saving grace

 

7:10pm: Mumbai City boasts the joint-best defensive record (three goals conceded) as well as the best offensive record (13 goals scored) in ISL 2020-21 so far. Formidable.

 

7pm: Who do you think will come out on top this evening? Have your say here:

 

6:50pm Time for some stats now. Under Carles Cuadrat, Bengaluru FC has not been able to beat Mumbai City even once in the last two seasons. On the other hand, Sergio Lobera has his own set of struggles against Bengaluru. During his time at FC Goa, Lobera managed only one win in seven times his side faced Bengaluru. More key stats below:

 

6:40pm: Just the one change for Bengaluru FC as Deshorn Brown comes in to replace Erik Paartalu. The 30-year-old has played eight games this season and has one assist to his name.

Mumbai City coach Sergio Lobera has named an unchanged XI from the 2-0 win over Kerala Blasters.

 

6:30 pm: The team news is in -

Bengaluru FC XI (4-2-3-1)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Rahul Bheke, Pratik Chaudhari, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra; Dimas Delgado, Suresh Wangjam; Cleiton Silva, Kristian Opseth, Sunil Chhetri; Deshorn Brown

Mumbai City FC XI (4-2-3-1)

Amrinder Singh; Amey Ranawade, Mourtada Fall, Hernan Santana, Mandar Rao Dessai; Rowlin Borges, Ahmed Jahouh; Raynier Fernandes, Hugo Boumous, Bipin Singh; Adam Le Fondre

 

6:15pm: If Bengaluru were to lose today, it would be the club's third successive defeat - a first for the side since it joined the ISL in 2017. Carles Cuadrat's team has also failed to score in consecutive matches for the first time in the ISL. Time to bounce back?

 

6pm: Mumbai City has no major injury concerns and has welcomed back left-back Mandar Rao Dessai into the fold, while Bengaluru will continue to miss the services of Ashique Kuruniyan.

The youngster could be out for the rest of the season after undergoing surgery to mend the multiple fractures he sustained to his face in the game against Odisha FC.

Bengaluru will also be without Erik Paartalu has been suspended for tonight's match after receiving his fourth yellow card of the season.

Here's how the two teams could line-up:

Bengaluru FC predicted XI (4-3-3)

Gurpreet Singh Sandhu; Rahul Bheke, Pratik Chaudhari, Juanan, Harmanjot Khabra; Dimas Delgado, Fran Gonzalez, Suresh Wangjam; Cleiton Silva, Kristian Opseth, Sunil Chhetri.

Mumbai City FC predicted XI (4-2-3-1)

Amrinder Singh; Mohamad Rakip, Mourtada Fall, Hernan Santana, Mandar Rao Dessai; Rowlin Borges, Ahmed Jahouh; Raynier Fernandes, Hugo Boumous, Bipin Singh; Adam Le Fondre

 

5:45pm: Bengaluru FC will look to return to winning ways when it takes on Mumbai City this evening. Here's the preview ahead of the clash:

Mumbai City looks to pile further misery on Bengaluru

High-flying Mumbai City FC will face a hurting Bengaluru FC (BFC) in a much-anticipated clash at the Fatorda Stadium on Tuesday. Sergio Lobera’s side is just one point off the top, is unbeaten in seven games, has scored a league-high 13 goals and conceded just thrice in eight matches.

BFC, on the other hand, has lost two on the bounce to be confined to fifth position, and has failed to score in consecutive matches for the first time in the ISL.

But for Lobera, BFC has been a nemesis, with the Spaniard winning just one out of seven meetings across three seasons when at FC Goa. Carles Cuadrat’s BFC has been successful in disrupting Lobera sides’ free-flowing style by digging a trench and hitting on the counter. In the pre-match briefing on Monday when Cuadrat said his side “had a plan”, it was difficult to shrug off memories of the past.

Podcast: Shyam Vasudevan and Aashin Prasad review the best of Indian Super League in the year 2020 on The Full Time Show.

“Lobera and I have played against each other a lot of times and since moving to Mumbai, he has made his team play the same kind of football he did at Goa,” he said. “Mumbai is in a good position right now, which makes it a strong opponent. But we have a plan of our own and we will try to execute it.”

But unlike before, BFC’s defence isn’t tight. It has conceded nine times and one of its most solid defensive midfielders, Erik Paartalu, will be missing against Mumbai as he serves a suspension for picking up four yellow cards.

In Adam le Fondre, Mumbai has the league’s second-highest scorer (six goals), and in Hugo Boumous and Bipin Singh, top assist providers who have seven between them. Lobera, though, still felt that BFC would be a tough nut to crack.

ALSO READ| ISL 2020-21: Meet Bengaluru FC's all-weather player, Harmanjot Khabra

“Bengaluru is very compact. It will be difficult for us and we need to manage the situation,” he said. “The most important thing is not only the result but to analyse how to win. In the last game, we started very well, scored two goals but after that provided Kerala with opportunities to score.”

“We had very good chances to close the game. We need to improve to convert our chances and when you are leading 2-0 it’s not good to concede chances for the other team to score. But I am very happy with my squad. We are improving, we are winning and we need to continue working in the same way,” he added.

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The seventh edition of the ISL got underway inside a bio-bubble in Goa on November 20.

The tournament, spanning over four months, will see 11 teams play each other in a league and playoff format across three venues. Following the inclusion of SC East Bengal, this season will feature 115 games, up from 95 last season.

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