Ashley Westwood's side has not managed to win a game yet, in five attempts so far as their struggles continue...
Two first half goals by Arata Izumi (5') and Minchol Son (11') helped Mumbai FC down Bengaluru FC 2-0 at the Cooperage Stadium, Mumbai. The Mumbai outfit are unbeaten after four rounds of matches alongside Mohun Bagan and East Bengal.
Khalid Jamil named an unchanged line up from the one that beat Salgaocar 2-1 on Sunday. The away side made just one change to their team as Malsawmzuala made way for Shankar Sampingiraj.
The game began fairly evenly with both sides battling for possession. However, it was the home team that made an early breakthrough.
Jayesh Rane did well to intercept a pass, fend off an opponent and release Ashutosh Mehta down the right flank. The right-back's cross was controlled by Sushil Singh inside the box which led to a goal-mouth melee. Sushil's shot was blocked by John Johnson as was Eric Brown's by Keegan Pereira before Arata Izumi's deflected effort creeped in at the near post in the fifth minute.
Mumbai then doubled their lead six minutes later in spectacular fashion. Minchol Son slid in to win a loose ball in midfield and put his foot right through it. The effort immediately had Ralte back tracking and though he got a hand to it, wasn't able to keep out the shot from all of 40 yards.
Bengaluru looked to pull a goal back immediately and Rino Anto's cross from the right caused the hosts problems. The ball eventually fell to Alwyn George outside the box and his shot was deflected wide.
Curtis Osano then carried the ball out from defence in the 16th minute and showed good strength to fend off a few challenges before pulling the trigger from distance but Pawan Kumar held on to the crisp effort.
The Yellow Brigade could well have gone even further ahead in the 22nd minute. Clyde Fernandes' cross from the left flank found Ryuki Kozawa inside the box but the Japanese chose to knock it down for his strike partner rather than go for goal and the chance went begging.
The away side won a free-kick on the right flank and the delivery was met by John Johnson in the 28th minute but his header was just wide.
Ashutosh then pulled up with an injury but couldn't get the attention of the referee to stop play. Incidentally, a pass was played past him for CK Vineeth but Pawan was alert to the danger and was off his line swiftly to make the save in the 33rd minute.
Six minutes later, Sushil and Kozawa combined well upfront with the former running clean through on goal. However, his weak effort was saved by Ralte under pressure from Osano.
In the 43rd minute, Ramu played the ball down the right side for Jayesh who found Arata. The midfielder laid the ball off for Kozawa who's low drive fizzed just wide.
Mumbai maintained the pressure on the visitors and took a 2-0 lead into the break.
The first chance in the second period fell to the away team in the 51st minute when Rino Anto's cross was met by a Eugeneson Lyngdoh volley inside the box. The midfielder's effort however was blocked. Substitute Thoi Singh's effort from range on the half volley in the 59th minute had Pawan concerned but the dipping shot went over the crossbar.
Vineeth found space inside the box but his shot from a tight angle was well off target in the 65th minute. Udanta Singh went on a fine run in the 72nd minute, cutting in from the right flank. He opened up the angle for a shot with a neat dummy on the edge of the box but his effort was blazed over.
Anto's corner five minutes later was met by an unmarked Sampingiraj in the middle but the defender's header looped over the target.
The visitors wasted another glorious opportunity a couple of minutes later. Anto's cross saw Kim Song-Yeong's shot blocked and when the loose ball fell to Thoi ten yards from goal, the midfielder could only sky his shot over.
The hosts didn't create a single clear-cut chance in the second half but remained compact and saw out a 2-0 win over the league leaders.
The result saw Bengaluru maintain their hold at the summit while Mumbai moved into a single point off their opponents tied with East Bengal but occupying the third place on goals scored.
The result saw Bengaluru maintain their hold at the summit while Mumbai moved into a single point off their opponents tied with East Bengal but occupying the third place on goals scored.
I-League: Shillong Lajong - Salgaocar FC Preview: Both sides hunt for first win
Shillong Lajong return to familiar surroundings as they look to cash in on a downbeat Salgaocar FC..
Salgaocar FC continue their travels away from Goa, as they take on Shillong Lajong FC in an I-League clash, on Thursday.
On the previous three occasions that these two sides squared off last season, Salgaocar got the better of their opponents from the north east. The score-line was 2-1 at the final whistle at the Fatorda Stadium with goals coming for Darryl Duffy and Dohou Pierre for the Greensdespite Cornell Glen getting an early goal.
Shillong lost the reverse fixture as well with Augustin Fernandes, Bikas Jairu and Douhou Pierre scoring for the Goan side while Uilliam Souza scored the only goal for the hosts.
The two sides also met in a Federation Cup fixture which saw Salgaocar triumph 2-1.
However, the tables have turned this season with Salgaocar failing to register even a point in their first three fixtures. They faced Bengaluru FC, defending champions Mohun Bagan and I-League dark horses Mumbai FC in their opening three games and have found it difficult to cope with a tough fixture list.
Salgaocar have looked reasonably potent in attack but has been poor in defence. They have scored four goals in three games but have conceded six and that's a worry for coach Malky Thompson.
”We have played the three top teams in India and things didn’t go according to plan. We are taking time to gel as a unit and are conceding early goals too. We have to ensure that it doesn’t happen tomorrow,” The Scott stated ahead of the game.
The Greens have signed centre-half Eder Monteiro with in the hope of solving their defensive problems. The Brazilian however, is not yet a part of the squad and is expected to join in the coming days. Salgaocar will depend on Calvin Mbarga in attack ,who looks potent going forward as he linked up with main man, Jackichand Singh.
However, all eyes will be cast on Malky Thomson’s team selection in defence as a clean sheet is the need of the hour for the Goans.
Their opponents on the evening, Shillong Lajong, head into the fixture on the back of a 3-0 drubbing at the hands of Bengaluru FC at the Shree Kanteerava Stadium. An early CK Vineeth goal and a brace from Seong-Yong Kim ensured that the Federation Champions outplayed the north-east side.
Lajong have failed to score in both of their previous games and will bank on their forwards to change the trend. The defence were outplayed against Bengaluru FC and the Thangboi Singto coached side will look to change that with the introduction of Japenese defender, Yusuke Yamagata, who is set to make his debut after recovering from an illness.
Speaking ahead of the game, Singto insisted that his side will have to put in a good shift to beat the Goan team.
“We don’t score, we won’t get points as goals make you win matches. I believe in my foreign strikers and goals will need to come soon. We need to work hard defensively and do a lot better. The pressure is on the strikers. We need to stop conceding goals and get goals from our strikers,” Singto stated.
With both sides looking for their first win of the season, we may be treated to an interesting encounter. Kick off is at 4:30 PM IST.
Nenhum comentário:
Postar um comentário