Mumbai City FC extended their lead at the top of the Indian Super League table by beating Chennaiyin FC by a goal to nil. Rahul Bheke scored a header in the 86th minute for the Islanders, and in doing so, broke Chennaiyin’s unbeaten streak.
A late goal by centre-back Rahul Bheke ensured Mumbai City FC’s victory over Chennaiyin, who had come into the match unbeaten. A narrow 1-0 win – a fourth in a row – helped the Islanders increase their lead at the top of the table to four points after six games played. The incumbent champions have accumulated a total of 15 points so far, with a record of five wins and a loss.
A shaky start to the game from Vishal Kaith in the Chennaiyin goal nearly saw City take the lead twice in the opening minutes. Kaith, in the fifth minute, nearly parried Cassinho’s long-range shot into the path of the in-form Igor Angulo. Four minutes later, the custodian rushed off his line prematurely to punch a loose ball away to safety but was beaten to it by the Spaniard, whose subsequent header hit the outside of the post.
Chennaiyin survived the early Mumbai onslaught, created half-chances of their own, and dragged the champions into the break level on scores. Seconds after the restart, the two-time Super League winners nearly took the lead by capitalizing on a defensive error. MCFC captain Mourtada Fall failed to defend a cross from the left, and the ball fell kindly for Lukasz Gikiewicz in the six-yard area, but the striker failed to get it out of his feet in time.
The reigning champions survived the early scare and began to build momentum. Cassinho’s shot in the 63rd minute was parried behind awkwardly by Kaith. Seven minutes later, the goalkeeper was called into action again, saving yet another long-range strike from the Brazilian before getting an important hand in the way of Lalengmawia Ralte’s follow-up.
However, Kaith went from hero to zero four minutes from time as he charged off his line in an attempt to punch an Ahmed Jahouh set-piece away to safety, only to miss the ball completely. Instead, the ball fell to the head of Bheke, who flicked it into an empty net, giving Mumbai the lead – and subsequently, the win.
