How Rajasthan United's win over Mumbai City makes compelling case for 'mind over matter'

Rajasthan stunned Mumbai City FC in a low-scoring thriller.

Underdog story is the favourite genre of sports drama, and I-League teams are masters at producing such storylines. Rajasthan United have produced the latest in the series as they edged past Mumbai City FC in an intense AIFF Super Cup affair on Monday.

With all the chaos and mayhem in Indian Football, those who live for the game have not stopped putting their heart and soul and Rajasthan United‘s victory is a glittering testimony to that undying love that shaped its course regardless of financial obstacles and logistical hurdles.

Referee’s whistle at the full-time put the victorious stamp on Rajasthan’s effort that made Indian Football take note of this upset. The journey this season has been arduous for the Desert Warriors, but they have aced each challenge in a resolute manner.

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Charting their way through fiscal impediments

The game is played on the pitch, but the financial aspect of it can direct the course of the game and undeniably has a massive influence on the result. Whenever there is a contest between an Indian Super League club and an I-League club, the first thing that stands out, besides the player roster, is financial disparity.

ISL clubs, usually loaded with healthy financial backing, mostly find it reasonably convenient to cruise through the challenge against I-League sides. However, there has been no shortage of glorious outliers in the history of these David and Goliath contests.

Rajasthan United added their name to that glorious list by taking down the might of Mumbai. With just a paltry budget compared to the ISL teams, Rajasthan scripted a victory that would fuel their journey for years to come. With the expenditure of maybe one or two foreigners in the Mumbai City FC roster, Rajasthan built its whole squad.

To overcome the fiscal handicap, the Rajasthan management deployed its commendable recruitment skills to unearth the likes of Robinson Blandon and Naoba Meitei, who cashed in on the big occasion to shine and emerge as the protagonists of this win. Rajasthan’s recruitment policy has again proved that it is not just the financial muscle that determines the destiny, but the footballing brains count for a lot as well.

Grit galore to compensate for scant pre-season

Besides the financial disparity, it is also the inadequate pre-season that added to the perils for Rajasthan United. The I-League side started their preparation for the Super Cup on October 22, just three days before the tournament started.

The fact that they had only three days to prepare for the competition makes this victory a lot more special. The man to celebrate should be the coach Vikrant Sharma, who marshalled his boys to this glory with the resource crunch and inadequate time to prepare.

The Desert Warriors have some new faces in the squad who have had no time to gel in and find their feet in the set-up. But they adapted and embraced the challenge to pull off this statement result.

Job not done yet!

It will be a quick turnaround time for Rajasthan United, as their job is not done yet. The knockout spot is not confirmed, and they have no option but to win on Thursday when they face Sporting Club Delhi in their last group stage fixture.

The permutations and combinations in Group D are complex, but there are two non-negotiables for Rajasthan: their win and Mumbai’s victory over Kerala Blasters. These two events will significantly boost their chances of qualifying for the knockouts but they will still have to depend on the head-to-head goal difference to seal their place in the semi-finals.

However, these permutations and combinations will not bother coach Vikrant Sharma as he will have only one mantra for his boys as long as they are on the pitch, and that is to win.

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