Bengaluru, March 29: Among the last teams to secure their play-offs spot, Mumbai City FC went down to Bengaluru FC 5-0 in the Indian Super League (ISL) 2024-25 at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium on Saturday night to qualify for the semifinals. The Blues have set up a last-four fixture with FC Goa now, whereas the Islanders’ season wraps up with this defeat.

Mumbai City FC held 59.5% of the possession but were overwhelmed by the home side’s offensive efficiency, with the Gerard Zaragoza-coached team converting five out of their six on-target shots into goals.

The Blues made early inroads through Ryan Williams in the ninth minute, as the attacker laid in a low cross inside the Mumbai City FC box. Thaer Krouma could not control the pace put behind the pass though, leading to a disarrayed interception that was met by Suresh Singh Wangjam and drilled into the bottom right corner to open the scoring for the home side.

The visitors had a chance to equalise 13 minutes later, as Brandon Fernandes stepped up on a corner kick and served in a probing delivery for Reliance Foundation Young Champs (RFYC) graduate Nathan Rodrigues. The latter met the cross perfectly but nodded it off-target on his left side.

The situation became complicated for the Islanders when Williams earned a spot-kick before the half-time break, as he was brought down in the penalty area by Hmingthanmawia Ralte. Edgar Mendez converted the opportunity with impeccable ease, depositing the ball into the centre of the goal in the 42nd minute to double the Blues’ lead.

Bengaluru FC continued the onslaught in the second essay of the game, as they kept capitalising on the opportunities they made, and were on the offensive despite having a two-goal cushion.

Suresh pressed proactively to win the ball back near the halfway mark in the 62nd minute and pierced open Mumbai City FC’s high defensive line with a slick pass that resulted in Williams receiving it on the right side and slotting into the bottom left corner of the net past Phurba Lachenpa.

Sunil Chhetri joined the scoring spree in the 76th minute with a long-distance stunner that caught the Islanders aback. As the Islanders pushed numbers ahead to cut the deficit, they ended up conceding ample space at the back, and Jorge Pereyra Diaz spotted and served Chhetri a straightforward pass that the striker shot from outside of the box to the high centre of the goal with exceptional accuracy.

Diaz got his name on the scoresheet against his former team, as Alberto Noguera, also an ex-Mumbai City FC star, showed timely awareness to lay the striker a pass in the middle of the box in the 83rd minute. The forward pounced upon the chance, netting the ball into the bottom right corner to cap off a captivating five-star performance for the home side.

Bengaluru FC will play FC Goa across two legs of the semifinal on April 2 and April 6, respectively.

(IANS)

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