East Bengal 0-3 Mumbai City FC: 3 things we learned from the 2022/23 ISL encounter
East Bengal's winless form in front of their fans continued as they were heavily beaten by Mumbai City FC on Friday, December 16. The scoreline read 3-0, thanks to a brace from Apuia and a solo strike from Greg Stewart.
The visitors were presented with a couple of early opportunities. Glen Stewart's attempt was cleared off the line by Ankit Mukherjee after an intelligent bit of play from Lallianzuala Chhangte to pick the Scot inside the penalty box. Kamaljit will be thanking his compatriot as the shot-stopper failed to get a telling touch to divert the ball away.
Centre-back Mehtab Singh failed to hit the back of the net in another instance. The Indian international was picked out by a delicious cross from Ahmed Jahouh within the 10th minute of the game.
Glen Stewart, who came close to scoring in the opening minutes of the game, successfully provided an assist to Apuia in the 26th minute. The former Rangers attacking midfielder played a defense-splitting pass to pick out the overlapping Apuia, who toepoked the ball into the back of the net.
The visitors got a firm grip of the game after finding the back of the net in the 49th minute. Greg Stewart found the bottom corner after striking the ball from thirty yards. It would go down as a mistake from Kamaljit Singh, who failed to deal with the shot.
Quick successive passes between Chhangte, Bipin, Diaz, and Apuia ended in a goal eleven minutes later. Midfielder Apuia's composure in front of goal helped him bag his brace for the night following an exquisite piece of play through the right wing.
The hosts came close to scoring through Tuhin Das, who rattled the crossbar in the second half. The visitors had a chance to rub salt on the wounds during the latter stages of the game, but Gurkirat Singh failed to convert from the spot after Vikram Pratap Singh was brought down inside the penalty box.
Des Buckingham's side overlapped Hyderabad FC for the top spot. On the other hand, the Red and Gold Brigade are positioned eighth after struggling to overcome their opponents.
We shall look at a few things that we learned today.
#3 Creative masters Greg Stewart and Ahmed Jahouh destroyed East Bengal
Greg Stewart's ability to create from open play and Ahmed Jahouh's set-pieces are causing trouble for the opposition in every game. The Scot was not only the assist provider for the opening goal, but he created a few chances throughout the game. Besides, his eye for goal is also making life harder for the opposition.
Ahmed Jahouh created a couple of glorious opportunities from corners. Both Mourtada Fall and Mehtab Singh did not convert. Additionally, his lob pass to find Chhangte and Bipin have also worked well so far this campaign.
#2 Another disappointing season for East Bengal
Since entering the Indian Super League, East Bengal have won just seven games from 50 games. Nothing seems to have changed for the Red and gold miners despite hiring the experienced tactician Stephen Constantine. The Kolkata giants have won just three games and lost the rest of the campaign.
The ISL outfit will be hoping to make the most count in the forthcoming fixtures to stand a chance for the playoffs qualification. East Bengal take on Bengaluru FC, Odisha FC and Jamshedpur FC in their next three games.
#1 Mumbai City FC are unstoppable
Mumbai City FC showed class albeit with a touch of consistency under Des Buckingham last season. However, they have gone on to the next level by decimating their opponents every week following a sloppy start to the 2022/23 ISL campaign, where they dropped points in 3 games out of the opening 6 games.
Of late, it has been smooth sailing for the one-time Indian Super League champions. They have won seven games on the trot and will be eyeing many victories as they continue to push for their debut ISL shield.