Goa fails to redeem itself against Mumbai City

Sergio Lobera’s Mumbai City was frustrated for a long time by Goa despite the ‘host’ losing Redeem Tlang to a first half red card. But at the death, le Fondre stepped up and fired in a spot-kick to ensure that Lobera got the better of his former team.

The ‘Gaurs’ had the first chance in the eighth minute when Alberto Noguera found Igor Angulo with a low cross, but the latter’s poor first touch let him down. MCFC played with intent, but couldn’t convert its dominance into chances. Goa then suffered a huge blow in the 40th minute when Tlang was shown red for his tackle on Hernan Santana.

Surprisingly, it was Goa which started more aggressively in the second half. It nearly took the lead just after the restart when Angulo sprinted in the box, only to see his shot narrowly miss the post. With less than a quarter to go, MCFC left-back Mandar Rao Dessai squandered a great chance, sending the ball over the post.

After constant knocking, Mumbai City was finally awarded a penalty kick in the fifth minute of stoppage time after Lenny Rodrigues handled Bipin Singh’s header.