BANGALORE (India): Mumbai City ended Bengaluru FC’s unbeaten run at home after they won 3-2 in Indian Super League (ISL) match on Sunday.
Subhasish Bose’s opener (12’) was cancelled out by Mato Grgic’ own goal (58’) before Diego Carlos (77’) gave Mumbai the lead with less than 15 minutes left to play.
Sunil Chhetri (89’) scored from the spot to give Carles Cuadrat’s men another shot at the winner but Rowllin Borges (90+3’) scored in the injury time to help Mumbai walk away with three points.
Cuadrat preferred unchanged side from the trip to Pune, where they claimed a 1-0 win over Odisha FC a little less than a fortnight ago.
With Ashique Kuruniyan and Udanta Singh on the flanks, Chhetri was the focal point for Bengaluru yet again, with Spanish striker Manuel Onwu yet to recover from an ankle injury.
It was end-to-end football from the get go as chances fell to both sides in the opening exchanges. Sarthak Goloui’s last-ditch tackle stopped Ashique Kuruniyan from scoring the opener, shortly before Harmanjot Khabra stopped Bipin Singh from breaking the deadlock at the other end of the field.
Subhasish puts Mumbai in lead
Mumbai scored just past the ten-minute mark after Mohamed Larbi swung in a cross that found Bose unmarked at the far post.
The Mumbai full-back nodded home from close, past a hapless Gurpreet Singh Sandhu in the BFC goal.
Bengaluru’s first chance to draw level came 12 minutes later when Erik Paartalu’s ball into the box found Udanta, but the winger’s finish was found wanting.
There was drama later in the first-half when Juanan Gonzalez was adjudged to have brought down Mumbai striker Amine Chermiti in the box, as the visitors were handed the chance to double their lead from 12 yards out.
Juanan, in his attempt to make inroads to a deflected cross had the Tunisian in his path, who then took a tumble to win the spot-kick.
But the scores would stay the same as Sandhu dived hard to his right to stop the penalty from Larbi.
Just shy of the hour mark, Bengaluru would draw things level, with Mato Grgic turning the ball into his own net from a Dimas Delgado corner.
Under pressure from Albert Serran, the Croatian could only divert his attempt to equalize past Amrinder Singh.
Bengaluru travel to Guwahati next, where they face NorthEast United on December 18 in the first of their reverse fixtures.
