SC East Bengal 0-0 Mumbai City FC- 4 things we learned
SC East Bengal held Mumbai City FC to a goalless draw on Friday in the Indian Super League 2021-22. With this draw, both teams conclude their first leg of the season after having played 10 matches each.
Defending champions Mumbai City FC were favorites heading into the match after staying at the top of the table for a lengthy period. Meanwhile, SC East Bengal languished at the bottom with no win to their name in the ISL 2021-22.
However, SC East Bengal did commandingly well to deny Mumbai City FC anything more than a point. They defended well for the majority of the game to keep them in check. Mumbai City ended with just two shots on target at full-time, as opposed to East Bengal's one.
Even after the disappointing result, Des Buckingham's men have moved back to the top of the ISL table. It remains to be seen for long though, with Hyderabad FC and ATK Mohun Bagan closely behind.
That being said, let us take a look at the four major things we learned from this encounter:
Phurba Lachenpa replaces Mohammad Nawaz in the lineup
The only interesting thing for Mumbai City FC supporters in this match was perhaps the inclusion of second-choice keeper, Phurba Lachenpa.
Brought in from Real Kashmir FC before the 2020-21 season, the Sikkimese did not have a role to play last season until the semi-final second leg against FC Goa. After the match went to penalties, Sergio Lobera substituted Lachenpa in place of captain Amrinder Singh. The decision worked off as Mumbai City FC advanced to the ISL final.
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change to the XI for #SCEBMCFC as Phurba Lachenpa makes his full debut for #TheIslanders while new signing Vinit Rai starts from the bench tonight! 
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Des Buckingham makes 1๏ธโฃ change to the XI for #SCEBMCFC as Phurba Lachenpa makes his full debut for #TheIslanders while new signing Vinit Rai starts from the bench tonight! ๐
#MumbaiCity #AamchiCity ๐ต https://t.co/aCP51CYhMk
Mohammad Nawaz started all of the matches for the Islanders this season, keeping two clean-sheets as well. However, the last few matches were forgettable for the young custodian as he conceded 10 goals in three matches.
Unsurprisingly, Des Buckingham took the decision to bench him and start Lachenpa instead, giving the latter his first ever ISL start. He did not disappoint and kept a cleansheet as SC East Bengal did not test him much.
SC East Bengal starting with only foreigner in the lineup
SCEB coach Renedy Singh shocked everyone when he decided to start with 10 Indians and just one foreigner, Daniel Chukwu, in the starting lineup. Two foreign players, Darren Sidoel and Amir Dervisevic, found themselves on the bench today.
Even in the previous match against Bengaluru FC, Renedy Singh went ahead with only two foreigners in the lineup. It seems to have gone his way as both matches have resulted in a draw, a result SC East Bengal will readily take.
There have been reports of Daniel Chukwu playing his last match today and Mario Rivera coming in soon. Hence, it remains to be seen what replacements SC East Bengal will find to fix their shambolic season.
Mumbai City FC denied well by the East Bengal defense
Hardwork and commitment till the end but not the result we wanted.
#SCEBMCFC #MumbaiCity #AamchiCity ๐ต https://t.co/rcNkmriUfl
Mumbai City FC had scored 22 goals in nine matches before they met SC East Bengal, the most in the league this season. Hence, few would have expected the Red and Golds to keep the defending champions quiet. However, that is exactly what they did.
Playing with an all-Indian backline, SC East Bengal remained focused throughout the entirety of the match. Any passes or shots entering the box were duly intercepted or cleared away. Even though the Islanders received eight corners, SCEB's sturdy defense did not allow a single one of them to convert into a goal.
Mumbai City FC were forced to take a lot of shots from outside the box as a result. At the end of 90 minutes, they could manage only two shots on target.
One could say that Mumbai City FC should have done better. But credit must be given to Renedy Singh and his men for the way they played against a stronger opponent.
Mumbai City FC on a winless streak
Not everything is going according to plan for Des Buckingham's Mumbai City FC. After winning the ISL League Shield as well as the ISL Trophy last season under Sergio Lobera, expectations are high this season.
Before Mumbai City FC faced Kerala Blasters on 19th December, they had lost just one match, winning the rest of them. However, after Kerala Blasters FC gave Mumbai City a 3-0 thumping, the latter have been a poor shadow of their former self. They bottled leads against NorthEast United FC and Odisha FC, with them resulting in a draw and a loss respectively.
Fans expected the team to bounce back with a win against a weak SC East Bengal side. However, the winless streak continued as they could only muster a draw. Head coach Des Buckingham will need to turn things around with the pressure mounting on him.