SC East Bengal vs Mumbai City FC: Who won yesterday's ISL 2021-22 match?

Mumbai City FC's Cassio Gabriel (L) and SC East Bengal's Hira Mondal compete for the ball. [Credits: ISL]

SC East Bengal and Mumbai City FC played out a goalless draw in Match 52 of the 2021-22 ISL season. Neither side created enough chances of note, with a stalemate coming out as a deserving result for both teams.

SC East Bengal had the first chance of the game around seven minutes in when Sourav Das tried a curler from long-range. However, it went well over the crossbar. Mumbai City FC then had an opportunity of their own through Igor Angulo. A good cross was sent in from the left by full-back Vignesh Dakshinamurthy. Angulo met it well, but his header went straight at Arindam Bhattacharya.

9' CHANCE | #SCEBMCFC

Vignesh Dakshinamurthy floats a teasing cross into the box, but Igor Angulo heads the ball straight to @iArindamB 🧤

SCEB 0-0 MCFC

#HeroISL #LetsFootball

The game saw very few chances after that and much of the action took place in the midfield. The Islanders dominated possession, with Cassio Gabriel, in particular, making some delightful dribbles. However, they struggled to make it count in the final third.

Des Buckingham's side often worked the ball well into wide areas. But full-backs Amey Ranawade and Vignesh Dakshinamurthy preferred to play the safe pass rather than bomb the box with crosses.

The Red and Gold Brigade, on the other hand, seemed content with trying to hit Mumbai City FC on the counter. They held their defensive shape well without possession and actively battled for every loose ball.

35' SCEB KEEPING IT TIGHT 💪 | #SCEBMCFC

@MumbaiCityFC have struggled to break down @sc_eastbengal's stubborn defence so far, despite enjoying plenty of possession.

SCEB 0-0 MCFC

#HeroISL #LetsFootball

The likes of Ahmed Jahouh and Gabriel took a few shots from distance, but none of the attempts really troubled the SC East Bengal defense. Both teams expectedly walked in with the scores level at half-time in what was a fairly sordid ISL 2021-22 affair.

Mumbai City FC poor against SC East Bengal but go top of ISL 2021-22 table

Mumbai City FC began the second half on the front foot once again, taking more shots in their bid to unsettle the SC East Bengal defense. Their best chance of the game fell to Gabriel, who fired a shot on target after some neat play by Raynier Fernandes. However, Bhattacharya leapt high to palm it behind for a corner.

𝘾𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙖𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙘𝙪𝙚! 👌🏻

How good was this save from @ArindamGK? 😍

#SCEBMCFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball | @sc_eastbengal https://t.co/pGNgjjYv6X

Mourtada Fall was then called into action when the ball fell to Daniel Chukwu on the counter. He took a couple of good touches before attempting to send Thongkhosiem Haokip through on goal. But Fall tracked back to dispossess the SC East Bengal attacker at a crucial juncture.

Gabriel had another pop from distance for Mumbai City FC around the hour mark, but dragged his shot just wide of the post.

Both teams once again continued to struggle to create clear-cut opportunities as the second half went on. Production in the final third was poor, with the Islanders lacking the spark they needed to break down a stoic SC East Bengal defense.

A solid-defensive display by @sc_eastbengal's 🇮🇳 back-line! 🚫

#SCEBMCFC #HeroISL #LetsFootball https://t.co/Aqfr4mzWck

There was a moment of craziness late on when Lalengmawia Ralte sent Amey Ranwade through, but Bhattacharya rushed out to sweep the ball clear. It was then sent back into the box but SC East Bengal just about cleared it.

Mumbai City FC's Fall, who had made his way up the pitch, also seemed to have been hauled down in the box during that passage. But the referee waved play on and the Red and Gold Brigade reorganized themselves once again.

The final few minutes passed by without much drama and the game ultimately ended 0-0. The result took Mumbai City FC back to the top of the ISL table with 17 points from 10 matches, though they are winless in their last four matches.

SC East Bengal, on the other hand, remain bottom and are still without a victory in this season's ISL having played 10 matches.