The Islanders posted a lucky victory against Josep Gombau’s side, who were the better team on the day. Odisha dominated the middle of the park and attacked far more than their counterparts but still ended up on the losing side after a last-minute goal doubled Mumbai’s lead, which had resulted from Odisha full-back Shubham Sarangi putting the ball into his own net in the early part of the second half.
Although there wasn’t a standout performance in the game from either side, Odisha’s collective attacking efforts were clearly too much for the Mumbaikars to handle, as they conceded 16 shots. To put things into perspective, Des Buckingham’s side had only two shots on target in the game, one of which was in the last minute, as left-winger Bipin Singh doubled their lead.
Singh, however, was lacklustre throughout the game, and was almost invisible, apart from being involved in a good piece of play in the first half. This was corroborated by the fact that he had the least touches of any outfield player on the pitch to play 90 minutes.
Odisha did have some big opportunities to open their account in the game via striker Diego Mauricio, but were denied by some solid defensive work from Rahul Bheke and Rostyn Griffiths as well as goalkeeper Phurba Lachenpa.
To make matters worse for Odisha, a good save from keeper Amrinder Singh was inadvertently put into the net as Sarangi caught the ricochet, as Mumbai edged forward. Mumbai also had a huge chance late in the second half, but Amrinder had other ideas, pulling off a sensational save to keep his side in the game.
Despite Odisha’s repeated attempts to restore parity in the game, the Mumbai fort stayed strong, keeping a clean sheet. Bipin Singh also sealed Mumbai’s victory with a deflected shot into the bottom corner. It was a disappointment for Josep Gombau and Odisha, while Mumbai climbed to second place in the league table.
2022-23 Indian Super League Top 6
# | Team | Matches played | Goal difference | Points |
1 | Hyderabad | 2 | +3 | 4 |
2 | Mumbai City | 2 | +2 | 4 |
3 | Chennaiyin | 2 | +1 | 4 |
4 | Bengaluru | 2 | +1 | 4 |
5 | Kerala Blasters | 1 | +2 | 3 |
6 | Goa | 1 | +1 | 3 |