ISL 2018-19, FC Goa 0-1 Mumbai City FC: 5 Talking Points as Goa set up final clash with Bengaluru despite loss
An early goal from Rafael Bastos was enough to ensure a 1-0 victory for Mumbai City FC over FC Goa in the second leg of the ISL Semifinal. Sergio Lobera's men had this tie wrapped up in the first leg at the Mumbai Football Arena with a comprehensive 5-1 victory over Mumbai City FC. The Gaurs will now go on to face Bengaluru FC in the big final on the 17th of March.
Despite the one-sided first leg, Jorge Costa's men put in a great fight and should have won the game by a few more goals, and would have had they been more clinical in front of the goal.
On the other hand, the hosts were cautious about their play and slowed down their intensity to see out the match unscathed.
Even though the visitors tried to step on the accelerator, FC Goa were stubborn with their approach and stopped playing football at times by just rolling the ball to the next player. It would have been a frustrating game for Mumbai without the ball, but they paid the price for the heavy damage which was done in the first leg.
In this article, we shall look at five talking points from the second leg between FC Goa and Mumbai City FC at Fatorda Stadium.
#1 Goa looked uncharacteristically sloppy until Ahmed Jahouh's substitution
At the early stages of the game, FC Goa were giving away possession cheaply and paid the price for it when Rafael Bastos gave the lead for Mumbai City in the sixth minute through a counter attack. Lobera's side were struggling to cope up with the likes of Raynier Fernandes in midfield and Arnold Issoko on the right wing.
There were plenty of chances for the visitors, but they failed to take full toll of it and get a slight grip on the tie. Ahmed Jahouh and Lenny Rodrigues were not in full flow. The Moroccan International, who has been one of the best players in the Indian Super League season, was withdrawn in the 40th minute.
The defensive midfielder was unhappy and headed straight into the tunnel by expressing his disappointment to his manager. On the other hand, Lobera was clear that he was not having any of that and told him to sit on the bench. After the game, both the manager and player looked to have settled out the problem and the 30-year-old will be set to start in the finals against Bengaluru FC.