Mumbai FC 0-1 Air India – Santosh Kashyap's Side Bag The Bragging Rights In Mumbai Derby

An early goal by Sandesh Gadkari proved to be the difference, as Air India defeated Mumbai FC in the "Mumbai Derby" albeit one played at the Balewadi stadium in Pune, in an I-League round 17 encounter.

Khalid Jamil made as many as five changes in the starting lineup from the team that was thrashed by Sporting Clube de Goa last matchweek. As a result, Cavin Lobo, Abhishek Yadav, Nidhin Lal, Peter Siddiqui and Nihal Chandran were the beneficiaries.

For the away side, Royston D’Souza and Pratik Chaudhary started in place of Kali Alaudeen and Ramandeep Singh.

Mumbai FC were in desperate need of three points and they showed greater urgency in attack with S. Kuttymani’s snapshot going just wide in the opening exchanges.

However they were caught on the break, as Sandesh Gadkari latched on to a clearance and found the back of the net from an acute angle in just the 5^th minute, to stun the Mumbai F.C players.

Henry Ezeh almost doubled the lead for Santosh Kashyap’s side, as he went on a mazy dribble from inside his own box and brushed aside a couple of challenges, but his eventual shot was straight at the keeper, who parried it for a corner.

Air India gradually took complete control of the game and Nidhin Lal was stretched yet again, as he parried a Bijoy Basfore shot wide for a corner.

There was visible tension between the two teams and it spilled over close to the half hour mark, as Collin Abranches’s decision to not pass the ball back to Mumbai FC after play was halted for an injury, led to a heated exchange of words between him and Yadav with their respective team-mates joining in. It might have gotten worse but the referee intervened and calmed the nerves.

Thereafter Mumbai FC tried coming back into the game, but they lacked bite upfront, as Gbeneme Friday and Yadav failed to click together.

But the duo got a chance each to equalize for the home side, but Yadav toe-poked his effort well over the bar while Friday’s cross almost caught Pawan Kumar out in Air India’s goal, but the custodian somehow clawed the ball out and stopped Mumbai FC from earning an unlikely leveller.

In the second half, Mumbai FC pushed right up to the half-line, as they tried to stop Air India from playing their natural possession based game.

Ebi Sukore had the first real chance of the second half, but his sweetly struck drive was straight at Pawan Kumar, who gathered on the second attempt.

Things again turned ugly between the two set of players, but this time Sukore and Takayuki Omi were yellow carded by the referee.

Haroon Fakhruddin then almost went clear for the hosts, but Pawan Kumar came out bravely to thwart the Afghanistan player.

They were yet again almost picked on the counter, as a rampaging run down the left by Rahul Bheke ended with him finding Henry, whose effort was somehow scampered away for a corner.

In the last 20 minutes, Mumbai FC held the lions share of possession, but failed to truly test Pawan Kumar in goal.

Bheke almost sealed the deal for Kashyap’s men, as his curling effort seemed set to find the top corner, but Nidhinlal pulled off a brilliant save to deny the Airmen.

The last few minutes were spent exclusively in Air India’s half, but the away side held on to register a vital win which takes them to 24 points while Mumbai FC continue to hover just above the drop zone.

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