The Mumbai Football Arena gets ready for action as Mumbai City hosts FC Goa in the ISL semifinals to be held on March 9, 2019. | Photo Credit: Ranvijay Singh
FC Goa had beaten Mumbai City FC in both their league encounters.
Two losses to FC Goa in the league phase — the 5-0 away and 2-0 at home — mean little to Mumbai City FC as the Indian Super League 2019 play-off approaches. Guided by Jorge Costa, former central defender for Portugal and FC Porto with a mean reputation to match, the blue shirts worked on closing the gaps in the backline, cutting down on errors to deny the rivals.
MCFC will host the first of two play-offs at the Mumbai Football Arena, and then travel for the return leg. “This is like the Champions League, home and away. Both teams play one half (of the play-offs) here in Mumbai, the other half in Goa,” said Costa, adding: “We are focused for this match, happy to be in the first four, we wish to go further and play the final. It will not be easy. FC Goa also want to be there. In these kind of games, the team with the least mistakes does well.”
The Portuguese, happy with the work put in by the players to reach this far, was blunt in his assessment of early season form. “We made all kinds of mistakes in some games, especially in the two ties against Goa. I think we learnt a lesson that when you make mistakes, you lose. We don’t like to lose, so I hope the mistakes don’t happen.” MCFC boasts of a tearaway attack, a compact midfield and a chastened pack of defenders.
FC Goa, fashioned by chief coach Sergei Lobera to play a polished passing game and score cleverly-executed goals, will need to get away from Lucian Golan at the heart of the MCFC defence, supported by Amrinder Singh under the bar and by defenders Souvik Charavarti and Subashish Bose. A formidable quartet his team has breached twice, deputy coach Jessus Tato promised more of the same.
Armed with confidence from 36 goals in 18 league games — 15 of which were struck by one player, Ferran Corominas — FCG attempts to find the road to goal through the layers in MCFC defence will be a fascinating prospect for the fans. “The most important thing is our style of football. We have to be ourselves. Of course, you have to take the opposition into account, we have to keep working on our strength and stick to our style,” said the Spaniard. The hosts like to hit back on the counter via spearheads Modou Sougou (12 goals) and Arnold Issoko.
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