Mumbai City FC consolidated their lead at the top of the table with a 4-2 win over Jamshedpur FC in an end-to-end Hero Indian Super League (ISL) contest at Fatorda on Thursday. Cassio Gabriel (3rd), Bipin Singh (17th) Igor Angulo (24th) and substitute Ygor Katatou (70th) were on the scoresheet for Mumbai, who are now four points clear at the top with 12 points from five matches. Komal Thatal (48th) and Aly Sabia (55th) made a comeback in the nets for Jamshedpur, who remain in second place with eight points from five matches.
It was a completely home team from the first whistle, leading through the highly skilled Gabriel in the third minute.
A short corner from Ahmed Jahouh was played just outside the box on the way to Gabriel, with the Brazilian driving the ball home from the edge of the box.
Two minutes later, Jamshedpur nearly leveled, but Greg Stewart found the keeper after dismissing Rahul Bheke and doing all the spade to score.
However, there was no stopping Mumbai as the defending champions doubled their lead in the 17th minute. A fine spell of passing football freed Gabriel to the right.
The 29-year-old beat Eli Sabia with the pace to enter the box, sending a captivating cross to tap an unmarked Bipin.
Seven minutes later, Mumbai made it 3-0, sending a stern message to the other teams in the league that their shock defeat to Hyderabad FC was probably one-sided.
This time it was all about Angulo’s brilliance, though Gabriel was at the fore again with a perfectly weighted pass. Angulo, 37, left Eli Sabia for dead with his first touch and left TP Rehenesh at home with a scorching left leg rifled past him.
After the break, Jamshedpur scored twice in a span of seven minutes. First, Stewart finds Thatal in space and later cuts to his right and deflects a powerful shot that deflects a defender under the Mumbai City FC bar to Mohammad Nawaz on the wrong foot.
Eli Sabia atone for his mistakes with a second in the first period, minutes later when the 33-year-old nodded into the empty net, making the most of Bheke’s defensive error.
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Angulo made way for Catatau in the 68th minute and the Brazilian made an immediate impact with a fine finish from close range.
Jamshedpur eventually threw in the towel and pushed Mumbai to the brink, but it was too late as the Owen Coyle-coached team succumbed to their first loss of the season.
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