Mumbai City beats Goa in the ISL to set up a championship matchup with Mohun Bagan Super Giant

Mumbai City FC defeated FC Goa 2-0 in the second leg of their Indian Super League (ISL) semifinal match on Monday, securing a finals matchup with the Mohun Bagan Super Giant.

After the Kolkata-based team defeated them to become the ISL Champions earlier this month, the Petr Kratky-coached team will now play the Mariners again for a chance to win the ISL Cup. Jorge Pereyra Diaz and Lallianzuala Chhangte both scored goals in the second half to guarantee that the Gaurs, behind 3-2 from the first leg, would not mount a late rally similar to the one the Islanders had staged in the rematch in Goa.

Before this game, Chhangte had nine strikes for the season. He was a playful presence near the Manolo Marquez-coached team’s defense. The talented winger won the Golden Ball trophy in the ISL 2022–23 after scoring ten goals. There were times throughout this season when it seemed like he might not be able to replicate his output from the previous one.

But in the past several months, when Mumbai City FC started to build momentum, Chhangte’s form improved, and he saved them at many crucial times. Tonight was one of them, with his goal in the 83rd minute coming about as a consequence of the Gaurs looking to take advantage of chances up front after Diaz’s initial goal had tipped the score 4-2 overall.

The potent combination of Vikram Partap Singh and Chhangte tore apart the Gaurs’ defense as the whole Islanders formation fell back to guard against the FC Goa attacking assault. After Vikram’s through ball found Chhangte, the Islanders scored their tenth goal of the 2023–24 season as he easily dribbled past Ayush Dev Chhetri and Udanta Singh.

Nevertheless, Diaz’s first goal laid the groundwork for that. In the 69th minute, Mumbai City FC saw a chance to score off a corner kick and piled on the numbers. Positioned on the far post, captain Rahul Bheke forcefully headed the ball that FC Goa goalie Dheeraj Singh blocked. But, Diaz, being true to his incisive scoring abilities, pounced on the rebound and scored from close range to give his team a commanding lead. Ultimately, Mumbai City FC defeated the Gaurs 5-2 overall over the two legs to solidify their spot in the summit match.