Mumbai City FC notched up a 2-0 win over FC Goa in their return leg semifinal of the Indian Super League in Mumbai on Monday, setting up a bumper summit showdown with Mohun Bagan SG. (More Football News)
The final, to be held in Kolkata on Saturday, will be rematch of the 2020-21 title clash.
Mohun Bagan SG made it to the final after getting the better of Odisha FC across the two legs.
After a goalless first half, Jorge-Pereyra Diaz broke the deadlock and put Mumbai City FC ahead with his strike in the 69th minute.
Playing at the Mumbai Football Arena, the home team doubled its lead through L. Chhangte's 83rd-minute goal.
While the scoreline read 0-0 at half time, the Mumbai outfit proved too good in the second half.
Jorge-Pereyra Diaz showed quick reflexes to pounce on a loose ball and break the deadlock shortly after the hour mark while Chhangte outsmarted the Goan defence with an outstanding counter to score his third goal across two legs of the semi-final.
In the first leg semifinal, Mumbai City FC edged past FC Goa with a late surge to secure a 3-2 victory.
Chhangte, with nine strikes to his name this term before this game, was a teasing presence around the defence of the Manolo Marquez-coached team.
The star winger had scored 10 goals in ISL 2022-23, when he was crowned with the Golden Ball award. In certain phases of this season, it appeared that he would be unable to match up to his numbers from the last campaign.
However, his form picked up just as Mumbai City FC began gaining steam in the last few months, with Chhangte coming to their rescue in multiple important moments.
Monday evening was one of them, with his goal in the 83rd minute a result of the Gaurs exploring opportunities upfront after the overall aggregate tilted 4-2 against them after the opening strike by Diaz.
As the entire Islanders setup got pulled back to defend against the FC Goa offensive onslaught, the dynamic duo of Vikram Partap Singh and Chhangte teamed up to slice open the backline of the Gaurs.
Vikram's through ball met Chhangte, who eased past Ayush Dev Chhetri and Udanta Singh to find the back of the net for the Islanders for the 10th time in ISL 2023-24.
However, the foundation of that was set up by the opening goal from Diaz.
Mumbai City FC overloaded the box with numbers upon sensing a goal-scoring opportunity from a corner kick in the 69th minute.
Skipper Rahul Bheke, positioned on the far post, firmly headed the delivery that was stopped by FC Goa goalkeeper Dheeraj Singh.
However, Diaz, staying true to his sharp scoring skills, lapped upon the rebound and netted it home from close range to help his men get a decisive foot forward in the proceedings.
Finally, Mumbai City FC confirmed their placing in the summit clash with a thumping 5-2 victory on aggregate across both legs against the Gaurs.
