Mumbai City FC hammer Indian Navy FT to enter Durand Cup 2023 quarter-finals
Ending their Durand Cup 2023 group-stage campaign on a perfect note, Mumbai City FC battered Indian Navy Football Team 4-0 at the Vivekananda Yuba Bharati Krirangan in Kolkata on Saturday, August 19. Jorge Pereyra Diaz, Greg Stewart, Gurkirat Singh, and newcomer Nathan Rodrigues all got on the scoresheet for the Islanders.
Mumbai head coach Des Buckingham named a full-strength lineup for the tie with the likes of Yoell van Nieff, Apuia, Lallianzuala Chhangte, and Diaz. Meanwhile, Indian Navy stuck to their trusted options despite two consecutive defeats.
It was predicted to be a one-sided affair but despite Mumbai dominating the possession, they couldn't break down the opposition until the 34th minute.
The Argentine talisman, after being fed through by Bipin Singh, unleashed a vicious effort to put the ISL Shield winners ahead and break the deadlock. However, the opposition still managed to hold their own until the half-time whistle thanks to some resilient goalkeeping from Vishnu VK.
Flood gates open for Indian Navy FT in the second half against Mumbai City FC
Right after the break, Buckingham brought on Sanjeev Stalin in place of Vikram Pratap Singh and altered the system. That was all Mumbai City FC needed to carve open the opposition defense at will.
At first, it was Greg Stewart who headed home a delicious cross from Lallianzuala Chhangte in the 62nd minute to double his side's lead. The Islanders were already cruising home with the three points before their gaffer decided to give some valuable minutes to his bench players.
Gurkirat Singh and Nathaniel Rodrigues came on in place of Jorge Diaz and Rahul Bheke. Eventually, both of them got on to the scoresheet. Gurkirat, after playing a slick one-two with Stewart, tucked home Mumbai City FC's third goal of the night.
Moments before the final whistle, Nathan stabbed home his first and the club's fourth goal of the night on his debut. In their three group-stage matches, Mumbai have now scored 12 goals while conceding just one.
Now they parade into the quarter-finals with momentum on their side and will be a tough nut to crack for any opposition. Meanwhile, Indian Navy FT bowed out of the tournament with three successive losses and will wait for the next edition of the tournament to make amends.