ISL: Chhangte earns full points for Mumbai

The drama on field may not have quite matched what happened off it 24 hours earlier, but there was plenty of action in Kerala Blasters’ first home fixture this ISL season.

But it was the visiting side that walked away with three points on Sunday night. Mumbai City won 1-0, with Lallianzuala Chhangte striking early in the second half at the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium.

More than the match, it was the very stadium that made more news on Saturday. There was even a possibility of this game not going ahead at all, with the ground’s owner Greater Cochin Development Authority asking for higher rent, and it was only late into the evening that the issue was settled.

If the Blasters players were affected by all that avoidable anxiety, they did not show it. They pressed forward and created chances up front, but Mumbai also was just as keen, as the opening half produced some fine end-to-end football.

The men from Mumbai got a golden opportunity to take the lead midway through the first half.

They were awarded a penalty kick for a foul by Danish Farooq, but Jorge Pereyra Díaz, the prolific scorer, failed to convert; he was denied by goalkeeper Arsh Shaikh, who pushed the ball smartly away.

Chhangte, however, made up for that, as he found the target following a deflection from Brandon Fernandes. That was enough for Mumbai to post its second win in as many games, while Blasters is without a point.

The result: Kerala Blasters 0 lost to Mumbai City 1 (Lallianzuala Chhangte 47).