Goalkeepers shine as Mumbai and Goa play out goalless draw

Updated: May 17, 2023, 05:52 am
Despite producing 20 shots , Mumbai failed to break Goa's defence and missed a chance to go top of the table.
Vipin Pawar / ISL / SPORTZPICS

A goalless draw kept Goa's ISL campaign alive and denied Mumbai City FC a chance to go top of the table at the Fatorda Stadium in Goa on Wednesday.

Mumbai were the more attacking of the two sides for much of the game, producing 20 shots (five on target) against Goa's 11. Laxmikant Kattimani was kept busy by Mumbai's forwards, and both Sunil Chhetri and Diego Forlan wasted presentable chances in the second half to give them the lead. Goa's only shot on target came late into added time, when Amrinder pulled off a superb save to deny Julio Cesar a late winner.

The draw lifted Goa off the bottom of the table above NorthEast United, who face Atletico de Kolkata on Thursday.

Neither team managed a noteworthy shot on goal in the first thirty minutes, and the first genuine chance fell to Forlan, who forced a save from Kattimani in the 38th minute. The Uruguayan received the ball 30-yards from goal, took a touch and then released a powerful shot with his left foot, forcing Kattimani to flick the ball over the bar for a corner.

The second half started much like the first, with both teams failing to deliver in the final third. Romeo Fernandes, who scored the winner in Goa's last game against NorthEast, failed to threaten the Mumbai defence as the hosts struggled to create an opening. Sunil Chhetri and Diego Forlan, in their second start together after the 1-0 loss to Pune, struggled to produce meaningful link-up play and lacked clinical finishing.

Mumbai's next chance fell to Chhetri, who completely miscued his first shot from inside the box after being set up by Forlan, who put defender Gregory Arnolin under pressure to win the ball back at the backline. By the time Chhetri had a second go, Raju Gaikwad was able to make up ground to block.

Forlan had a great chance to score Mumbai's first ever ISL goal at the Fatorda minutes later after being found in the box with a beautiful pass from Krisztian Vadocz. But Forlan's weak shot was parried away easily by Kattimani and then cleared by Arnolin.

Zico brought on forward Julio Cesar in the 68th in place of midfielder Sanjay Balmuchu and the change immediately gave the team's attack more bite.

The game opened up in the final few minutes, and in the 83rd minute, Chhetri nearly made up for his earlier miss. After dribbling past a couple of defenders at the edge of the box, Chhetri shot with his left foot, only for Kattimani to make a good save to his left.

After a 90th minute winner in the last game against Pune, Goa had a chance to do the same against Mumbai when the referee awarded a free-kick on the edge of the box for a foul on Robin Singh. However, Julio Cesar's effort from the set piece hit the wall and went over for a corner.

Goa's first and only shot on target came in the 93rd minute, when substitute Trindade found Cesar with a fine through ball, but the Brazilian's left-footed shot was saved superbly by Mumbai's debutant keeper Amrinder Singh.