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                         2-0

Mumbai came back brilliantly in the second half. However, if not for the wasted chances, the yellow submarine could have won or at least score a goal or two in the latter half. East Bengal displayed brilliant defensive work, with Bukenya being the leader in the rear guard for the entire match. Logging out, good night from Kolkata.

90'+4' And we are done here at Barasat Stadium as the referee whistles to indicate the conclusion of the match. East Bengal wins the game with a two goal lead over Mumbai FC.

90'+4' Yellow card for Mehtab Hossian. The midfielder will be unavailable for the next match.

90'+2' Final minutes of the match and the fans are already leaving the stadium here in Kolkata.

90' Four minutes extra time added to the match by the match referee. 

88' Substitution for East Bengal: Haokip IN, Robin Singh OUT.

87' Mumbai FC defender Chandrasekhar is being shown yellow card by the referee. 

86' Mumbai is still countering East Bengal on every opportunity they are getting. The home players are coming down to defense. Tricky time. 

84' Substituition for East Bengal: Robert IN, Poojary OUT.

82' Mehtab and Steven Dias is having a go at each other in the pitch. The referee warns both of the players. 

79' Corner for Mumbai FC. Steven Dias takes the shot but the ball was deflected and sent back into the game by the East Bengal defenders.

77'  Pratik Chowdhary is being shown a YELLOW card by the referee. 

75' Bheke overlaps and passes to Romeo Fernandes. Romeo goes up with the ball and returns the pass to Bheke but the full back could not reach the ball in time. Chandrasekhar sends the ball back into the game. 

73' Free kick for East Bengal. Mehtab takes the shot but the ball goes out wide. 

71' Substituition for Mumbai FC: Victorino OUT, Steven Dias IN.

71' Willis Plaza and Pratik Chowdhary both goes down following between themselves in the Mumbai FC box.

68' Victorino is out with a serious head injury. The support stuff is asking for an ambulance already. 

66' Mumbai goes into another counter-attack but is again intercepted by East Bengal defenders. Mumbai is growing impatient with the scoreline. 

64' Substituition for East Bengal: Wedson OUT, Romeo IN. 

62' Romeo Fernandes is warming up for East Bengal in the sidelines. Looks like Morgan has changed his views about the winger. 

59' Chandrasekhar takes a free-kick which is headed by Sawheny who sends the ball out wide. Wasted.

56' Theobald scores but is offiside. Goal kick for East Bengal. 

55' Substitution for Mumbai FC: Victorino IN, Farukh OUT.

52' Sawhney with two back-to-back shots in the East Bengal goal but both of them were intercepted and saved by East Bengal defenders. 

51' Farukh Choudhary with a through towards Sawhney but Bukenya acts quickly and sends the ball back into the game. 

50' East Bengal is playing with a defensive formation. Mumbai on the other hands looks like to be deploying 'total football' as the entire team is going up and down in the pitch to attack or to defend down. 

47' Robin Singh tries to go on a solo run but is intercepted by Mumbai's Farukh Choudhary who tracks back to defend. The ball goes out and the referee awards a throw in to East Bengal. 

46' Substitution for Mumbai FC: Allan Dias OUT, Karan Sawhney IN.

46' Referee whistles and the second half is underway here at Kolkata.

The visitors had started the match brightly but the East Bengal forwards stayed true to their strategy and went up a goal early in the match. The Red and Gold Brigade were noticed to be playing in an aggressive formation, deploying 3-4-3 as Plaza playing the centre forward position. Mumbai tried to expose East Bengal in the left flank using Thoi Singh and Theobald's partnership but were defeated by Ivan Bukenya's presence in the centre of the defense. Back in a while for the second half, stay tuned. 

45'+2' The referee whistles to conclusion of the first half. Back in a couple of minutes for the second half, stay tuned.

45' Two minutes extra time added by the referee. 

42' Shilton with a rash challenge on Poojary but the referee decides to continue the match. Advantage for Mumbai FC.

40' Narayan Das overlaps and tries to put in a cross for the East Bengal strikers but the full back was intercepted by Mumbai's defending duo of Pires and Pratik who sends the ball out. 

38' Mumbai with another aggressive approach but Farukh was intercepted by Robin Singh in the midfield who passes the ball towards Nikhil Poojary in the right flank. 

35' Allan Dias takes a free kick. Rehenesh was quick to come out but misjudged the ball as the ball almost went in. 

34' Mehtab is down with an injury. The match has stopped as the referee calls in the physio.

32' The Mumbai defense looks to be reorganizing. Three clearances in less than two minutes. If only that happened earlier in the game. 

30' The game is starting to feel like one-sided. Mumbai FC has gone back defensive apart from some rare approaches by Theobald and Thoi Singh in the right flank.

28' Corner for Mumbai FC. Theobald takes the shot but is intercepted by Bukenya in the air and goes back into the game.

26' Plaza looks to be unbeatable tonight. The East Bengal is being marked by all four Mumbai FC defenders in the upper half.

24' Poojary gets in the Mumbai FC box to receive a though pass from Plaza but is offside. Goal kick for the away team.

21' Thoi Singh dribbles past Narayan Das and passes the ball to the approaching Farukh Choudhary. Choudhary shoots the ball but Rehenesh is quick to save the shot.

20' Densil shouts at his teammates for wasting chances. East Bengal in an all out attack but Shilton and Pratik intercepts Wedson in the right left wing and the ball goes out. 

18' Mumbai FC is being awarded with a free kick. Shirodkar takes the shot but Shilton heads it out wide. Wasted once again.

16' GOOOOOOALLLL!!! Plaza with his second! Ralte with an aerial ball and Plaza receives it in front of the goalposts and shoots the ball in the net! East Bengal 2-0 Mumbai FC.

15' Ralte with a cutting edge pass towards Robin Singh but Singh is offside. The referee whistles. 

13' Theobald with an aerial ball towards Thoi Singh who dribbles past Narayan Das but is intercepted by Ivan Bukenya in the final third.

12' Mumbai players looks a bit clueless with a goal being down. East Bengal pressing the Mumbaikars well.

9' GOOOAAAL! Willis Plaza scores! The home team has an early lead over Mumbai FC.

7' Plaza dribbles around Pratik Chowdhary and tries to pass a through ball to Robin Singh but Pires intercepts once again and the away team goes in an all out attack.

6' Nice build up play by Wedson and Robin Singh but the Haitian misjudged the situation and shoots the ball wide in front of the Mumbai FC box. Wasted.

4' East Bengal with their first counter attack down the right flank. However was intercepted by Pires and Mumbai goes out to attack once again. 

2' Mumbai FC already in an aggreesive mode. The Mumbaikars are trying to get past the East Bengal full-backs but Bheke was quick to react and the ball goes back to East Bengal possession. 

1' We have a kick-off here at Kolkata. Stay tuned. 

7:06pm Players are out on the pitch here at Barasat Stadium. Moments away for the match to begin.

7:00pm Mumbai FC is playing with only one foreign player in Densill Theobald. Key player such as Siam Hanghal are out for the Yellow submarins. The match just got tougher for the Mumbaikars. 

6:58pm Arnab Mondal, the key defender of East Bengal is back with the team as he waits in the substitutes bench waiting to be called on by the Head Coach. Top of the table and their most dependable defender back in his feet, East Bengal fans could not be happier.

6:55pm The stadium is filling with East Bengal's anthem song. Considering the amount of the home crowd and the music out here, the Mumbaikars are in for arguably the toughest match in the League this season.

6:52pm This is going to be a curse breaking match for both the home and away teams. The last two matches between these two teams had been draws and the last time East Bengal won against Mumbai FC at home was 13th January, 2013 at Kalyani Stadium.

6:50pm Just minutes left for the match. The stadium is almost packed here at Barasat Stadium and the fans are still coming in to support the teams. 

6:41pm East Bengal FC subs: Subhasish, Gurung, Mondal, Robert, Haokip, Fernandes, Ruidas (U22). 

Mumbai FC subs: Sawhney, Akhtar, Fernandes, Hanghal, Dias, Clyde (U22), Patil. 

6:40pm East Bengal starting XI: Rehenesh, Bheke, Bukenya, Gurwinder, Narayan, Wedson, Mehtab, Ralte (C), Poojary (U22), Robin, Plaza.

6:40pm Mumbai FC starting XI: Kunal, Shallum, Pratik, Chandra, Reagan, Shilton, Allan, Pratesh, Densill. Farukh (U22), Thoi (C).

06:35pm Hello and welcome to the I-League game between East Bengal and Mumbai FC. This is your host Sourav Dey Neogi live from Barasat Stadium, Kolkata.

Take a look at the insight we already have for you!

Team News

East Bengal’s long time absentee and key defender Arnab Mondal is back from his injury and practiced earlier today. However, veterans Bikash Jairu and Cavin Lobo are still doubtful to make the cut against Mumbai FC. The other players are fit and practiced earlier in the morning.

Mumbai FC on the other hand, have no injury concerns currently. Comimng into the match on the back of three consecutive defeats as manager Santosh Kashyap tries to re-discover the winning formula.

Head-to-Head

East Bengal FC and Mumbai FC have met 17 times in all competitions till now. Out of these 17 matches played, Mumbai FC edges out East Bengal with six wins compared to East Bengal’s four wins. Seven of these matches were drawn. The last time these two teams met was on 5th April 2016 and the match ended 2-2.

Man to Watch

Wedson Anselme-East Bengal: The Haitian scored a hat-trick against I-League newcomers Minerva Punjab in the last game. A versatile player, Wedson has been deployed on the right wing, in the No.10 role and in the striker's role previously and has played up to the mark in all positions. Wedson is well-known for his pace, as well as his vision, passing and finishing abilities.

Thoi Singh-Mumbai FC: The young midfielder has been the only jewel in Santosh Kashyap’s ranks this season. Singh, who plays as a box to box attacking midfielder, has shown glimpses of his true potential in the previous matches. His vision, passing ability and positional sense might come in handy for the Mumbai-based club against East Bengal.

Probable Lineups

East Bengal (4-4-2): Rehenesh (GK), Bheke, Mondal, Bukenya, Das, Mehtab, Wedson, Ralte, Poojary, Robin, Plaza.

Mumbai FC (4-1-4-1): Sawant (GK), Fernandes, Akhtar, Hanghal, R.Singh, Rao, Nikhil Kadam, Sharma, Theobald, Singh, Chowdhary.

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Pictures Via I-League Media