Lallianzuala Chhangte stars with a brace

Two-time ISL Shield winners Mumbai City FC overcame a 2-0 deficit to win the first leg of their semi-final fixture in injury time against FC Goa by 3-2 at the Fatorda Stadium in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2023-24 on Wednesday night.

In one of the most awaited Western derby clashes between the two outfits, the hosts  powered by strikes by Boris Singh and Brandon Fernandes were all set for a convincing win, until the 90th minute of the match.

However, the Rahul Bheke led side made a stunning comeback by scoring thrice in the final six-odd minutes of the injury time to ensure a sensational win, following a brace by their most looked to star Lallianzuala Chhangte and a goal by Vikram Partap Singh. The win was Islanders 11th in 25 meetings against the Gaurs who have seven win to their credit, while seven have ended in creditable draws

Jayesh Rane played a key role in both of Chhangte’s goals, setting them up with his slick deliveries against his former team mates amidst close spaces inside the rival box. The first one came amidst a quick break where Chhangte picked the ball from the left side of the six-yard box to slide it into the bottom right corner after a precise through ball from the Islanders defender. Vikram’s strike two minutes later was through a rebound, with the striker  perfectly placed on the run to hammer in the rebound to equalize the scores. Finally, Chhangte capped off the game a few minutes later with a goal fairly identical to his first one of the night. Just like the previous one, it came off a through ball by Rane after the later collected the ball in the centre just outside the box, before laying it off to Chhangte whose razor-sharp accuracy found the back of the net for a winner in an epic encounter

The two teams who earlier had very little to set them apart after having been involved in a 0-0 and 1-1 draw in the doubled legged league will now head into the second leg of this semi-final fixture on 29 April 29 at the Mumbai Football Arena for a place in the grand final.

Result (Semi-final Leg 1):

Mumbai City FC 3 (Lallianzuala Chhangte 90’ 90+6’, Vikram Partap Singh 90+1’) beat  FC Goa 2 (Boris Singh 16’, Brandon Fernandes 56’) 2 (HT 2-0)

Photo Above: Mumbai City FC players led by Lallianzuala Chhangte (3^rd from Right) and Vikram Partap Singh (2^nd  from Right) celebrate their stunning 3-2 win over hosts FC Goa in the first leg of the semi-final (Photo courtesy ISL)