Mumbai City FC made their way into their first-ever ISL final as they defeated FC Goa 6-5 on penalties at the GMC Stadium, Bambolim on Monday. After a 2-2 draw in the first leg of the semi-final, the second-leg finished as both teams failed to score in the 90 minutes and then 30 minutes extra time.
Subsequently, the match went into the penalty shoot-out. FC Goa missed their first two penalties whereas Mumbai City too missed two in a row after converting their first. However, both the teams missed their last penalty as the match went into sudden death.
Both the teams came up with better penalties in the sudden death but FC Goa missed their ninth penalty when Glan Martins veered off his mark. Rowllin Borges then scored for the Islanders to help his team book their berth in the final of the tournament.
Mumbai’s head coach Sergio Lobera stated his team deserved to play the final after consistent performances during the league stage.
“I am very happy because my players have made a big effort. It is not easy to play 90 minutes, go into extra time and play penalties [after a 0-0 scoreline and 2-2 aggregate]. I am very happy because the players deserve to play in the final. I have a very good squad and I have amazing people in the dressing room. We deserve to play the final,” he said.
In fact, Mumbai City FC made a surprising call as they decided to substitute their skipper goalkeeper Amrinder Singh with Phurba Lachenpa. However, the decision was eventually a masterstroke as Phurba made some impressive saves.
Talking about the surprising move, Lobera said, “He [Amrinder] is the best goalkeeper this season. I have no doubt about this. We spoke to the player and he knows the situation. I want to congratulate the goalkeeping coach on this decision because finally, it was a good decision. We have three very good goalkeepers, and I think that Phurba deserves to enjoy this moment.”
On the other hand, FC Goa head coach Juan Ferrando was disappointed with the result but lauded the performance of his players.
Mumbai City will either face ATK Mohun Bagan or NorthEast United FC in the final of the ISL at the Fatorda Stadium on Saturday.
