Mumbai: Mumbai City FC drew with Hyderabad FC 1-1 in the Indian Super League (ISL) on Saturday.
The Islanders suffered a big blow as goalkeeper Phurba Lachenp was red carded as early as the seventh minute.
Hyderabad attacker Joe Knowles was close to scoring the first goal of the evening when he spotted a disoriented opposition backline and approached towards goal. Lachenpa went for the ball, taking him outside the 18-yard box. Unable to use his hands anymore, the custodian brought Knowles down with his feet. The referee had no hesitation in flashing the red card.
Vikram Pratap Singh’s start didn’t last long and head coach Des Buckingham replaced the winger with Mohammed Nawaz.
The Islanders immediately regrouped to ensure that Hyderabad couldn’t reap rewards of the one-man advantage. Midfielders began donning a more reserved role to ensure that the Hyderabad frontline was kept at bay.
At the same time, their premier attacking figures such as Bipin Singh and Greg Stewart continued their pursuit of the opening strike. As the game entered its final 15 minutes, Stewart played a through ball to Bipin whose shot was thwarted by Gurmeet Singh. Hyderabad substitute Manoj Mohammed ended up being at the wrong spot though, with the ball rebounding off his feet to roll into the back of the net.
Mumbai put on a spirited effort to keep Hyderabad from scoring. Yet, the numerical advantage that Hyderabad had helped them finally, with Knowles striking in home from a narrow angle that took the deflection of Tiri in the 96th minute of the game.
