Zakeer Mundampara, Mandar Rao Desai and Balwant Singh shine as Mumbai edge 7-goal thriller against Goa

It was an eventful game that also witnessed a red card for the hosts early in the second half.

Mumbai City FC kept their hopes of making the top four in the Indian Super League alive  by winning the away game against FC Goa at Fatorda Stadium on Sunday.

It was an exciting game in which Ferran Corominas, Everton Santos, Manuel Lanzarote, Achille Emana, Thiago Santos and Balwant Singh all found themselves on the scoresheet. Let's find out how the Indian players fared in the clash.

Watch:: FC Goa 3-4 Mumbai City highlights

In a game that has so much to talk about, how did the Indian players perform should be on top of the pile. So, Khel Now takes a look at the same.

FC Goa

Laxmikant Kattimani- 5.0

Kattimani didn’t expect four goals against his team. He did his level best but was beaten easily. The red card really affected Goa’s game as they had to change to a transitioning 3-man defence. The gaps in the back four led to the goals.

Narayan Das- 7.0

While many would blame the red card solely for changing the complexion of the game, it perhaps needed a bit more wrongdoing from the Goa camp and substitution of Narayan Das out was certainly it. Narayan was rock-solid in defence, creative in attack and was passing the ball with pinpoint accuracy. 

The numbers certify this. Narayan had a passing accuracy of 87%, created a chance and intercepted Mumbai attackers' passes twice in 53 minutes of the game. He was a shield that was sacrificed because of the dismissal.

Brandon Fernandes- 6.0

Brandon had a tough task at hand - playing against a physically stronger opponent in Marcio Rosario. For the first 50-60 minutes, he did well but as soon as Seriton received his marching orders, much like the team, Brandon started fumbling.

The midfielder failed to create more than one chance and was involved more in the rumbles than the game. The booking he received is a testament to the same.

Mandar Rao Desai- 8.0

Mandar along with Brandon has made a partnership that has done well this season and many Indians would love to see them donning the national colours as well. Although, Brandon had a lukewarm time of it, Mandar was on the top of his game throughout the 98 minutes of the tie and assisted Goa's second.

Watch: Mandar Rao Desai one-on-one shot against Amrinder Singh

Apart from the assist, Mandar created a further two chances. After the red card, he was asked to focus on defensive duties on the left as Narayan was dubstituted. The winger was on top of his defensive tasks as he made many interceptions and blocks.

Seriton Fernandes- 4.5

Seriton Fernandes was lively as ever making good runs down the right overlapping Brandon Fernandes. He also made some crazy clearances to deny Mumbai any good moments in the match, but was sent for an early bath in the 48th minute after he was shown a second yellow in the early part of the second half.

Mohamed Ali- 5.5

Mohamed Ali had a decent match but his ill-timed tackle cost Goa a penalty. He did manage to control the defence at times with some good work but couldn’t do it for the entire match.

Ali passed well throughout the game, like every other FC Goa player. He had a passing accuracy of 87% and made three blocks and an interception to try to neutralise the ill-effects of the penalty. 

Substitutes

Chinglensana Singh- 5.5

After the red card Goa were forced to bring in some changes to their game-plan, playing a 3-man defence being one of them. Singh was substituted in for Narayan and Brandon and Mandar were asked to contribute more defensively.

Chinglensana had an average game and couldn't do much to fill the gaps that were opened up because of playing an extra central-defender.

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Mumbai City

Arminder Singh- 6.0

 

Watch: Amrinder Singh outstanding save against FC Goa

Let not the three FC Goa goals fool you about Amrinder Singh's performance. The former Bengaluru FC shot-stopper had a decent match. Singh made a couple of good saves to deny Lanzarote and Corominas and should have parried Mandar’s shot to safety. 

Sahil Tavora- 6.0

Sahil Tavora played as a wing-back for his side and kept Brandon at bay in the second half. The youngster who was once a teammate of Brandon, got into many silly altercations with him and was booked because of a foul on the Gaurs midfielder. With that being said, Sahil still had a good match overall.

Tavora tackled six times, cleared twice and blocked two shots. He produced a good defensive display but should have contributed more to the attack.

Sanju Pradhan- 6.0

The curious case of Sanju Pradhan- did well defensively yet was substituted out for Pranjal Bhumij at a time when his team had just levelled things up, a decision that didn't turn out too well for the Islanders. Pradhan was very disciplined throughout his stay on the pitch and made two clearances and two interceptions.

What was very uncharacteristic of him though, was that he had a passing accuracy of 72%.

Balwant Singh- 8.0

Watch: Balwant Singh in action against FC Goa

Apart from the three points, Mumbai City took home a Balwant Singh who didn't look like he was struggling in the recent past. Something Alexandre Guimaraes would feel happy about. Balwant, in the beginning, couldn't make much of the chances that he had but managed to score the winning goal.

Apart from the goal, he distributed the ball very well, something he always does. The striker had three shots on target and was also the brain behind Thiago's second goal. 

Zakeer Mundampara- 8.5

It is high time Guimaraes turns his attention more often towards Zakeer. The defender has been as good as Shehnaj Singh, maybe even better and that too without playing the dirty game. Zakeer turned out to be a shield behind Emana allowing him to surge forward in his pursuit of creating opportunities for the attackers. His performance is clearly reflected by his numbers.

A passing accuracy of more than 90% and two interceptions along with three blocks sums up a brilliant show from the former Mumbai FC lad.

Mehrajuddin Wadoo- 7.0

In a high scoring game like this, defenders are ought to be looked at as the culprits along with the goalkeepers. But, the case isn't always so. It was more of a good attacking display from FC Goa rather than clumsy defending from Mumbai City FC players that led to the allowance of three goals. Wadoo had a good game warding Corominas off on several occasions. He also made a quite a few clearances and was sturdy in his defence.

Wadoo made three clearances and blocked two shots. A masterclass performance from the veteran Mumbai FC player.

Substitutes

Pranjal Bhumij- NA

Was substituted in and out of the game in less than fifteen minutes. 

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Sehnaj Singh- 6.0

In a season that has seen him start ahead of Zakeer, Sehnaj has done more good to his doubters than to his fans by collecting numerous bookings. Even in this game, in just 23 minutes of play, the midfielder fouled twice and collected a booking for himself.