ISL 2016: FC Goa 0 - 0 Mumbai City FC - 5 talking points
FC Goa and Mumbai City FC played out an exciting 0-0 draw in Wednesday’s Indian Super League encounter. As the referee blew the final whistle, both sides left the field, knowing very well that either could have emerged winners on the night.
Here are 5 talking points from the game:
#1 Robin Singh endures a frustrating night
“It’s been a while since I’ve seen him,” Robin Singh said, talking about his compatriot, Sunil Chhetri prior to facing him on Wednesday. Goa’s target man endured a frustrating night, particularly in the first half.
On many occasions, he was the lone player in the opposition half as the Gaurs decided to heavily stack their midfield. Part of his infectiveness was down to his teammates not feeding him the ball when presented with the opportunity.
With such a towering striker at their disposal, Goa’s full backs and wingers were reluctant to whip in crosses and give Robin a chance to test Mumbai’s back four. He seemed extremely displeased with his side’s approach, especially for the first forty-five minutes.
#2 Mumbai’s lacklustre first half
29 – The number of touches that Sunil Chhetri managed in the first half. 23 - The number of times Diego Forlan got on the ball for Mumbai in the opening forty-five minutes. Unfortunately for the both of them, not a single touch from their combined 52 were inside the opposition box.
Mumbai’s quartet of Sony, Sunil, Diego and Defederico combined well with some slick passing. They formed cute triangles on various occasions, which left Goa’s defenders chasing shadows. But the visitors failed to pose any kind of threat where it mattered most - in the penalty box.
Forlan decided to occupy the wider and central areas of the pitch and it meant the visitors sorely missed the presence of an out and out striker- a reference point that could have largely aided them.