ISL 2023-24: Guarrotxena helps Mumbai City return to winning ways against faltering East Bengal
Mumbai City FC returned to winning ways as it downed host East Bengal by a solitary goal in a matchweek 15 fixture of the ISL-10, at the Salt Lake Stadium here on Tuesday.
Iker Guarrotxena made his first start for MCFC memorable as he found the target in the 24th minute to see the Islanders take the deserving lead and preserve it till the end.
The visitor dominated the opening session with 71 per cent ball possession and made a creditable 41 incursions in the attacking third. Despite having control over midfield and making attacks at will, MCFC failed to convert the advantage into goals and had to be satisfied with one that Guarrotxena managed to tap home.
The goal happened off a nicely coordinated move as the Spanish midfielder Alberto Noguera took a back-pass from Akash Mishra and tossed the ball in the East Bengal box to find his compatriot Guarrotxena.
The Spanish striker nicely controlled the ball while shielding it from a couple of East Bengal defenders and finished it with a tap-in to end MCFC’s wait for a break.
East Bengal’s coach Carles Cuadrat, who opted for rotations initially by bringing in a few from the bench, made some changes in the roster after the break in an attempt to bring balance to the team’s performance.
This helped the host gain some control over the proceedings but not enough to find the equaliser against its well-organised opposition. Having lost two of its Spanish regulars – Jose Antonio Pardo and Saul Crespo – to injury, the East Bengal coach did not have many options with his foreign recruits.
With forward Cleiton Silva suspended, the East Bengal attack lacked direction as the newcomers Felicio Brown of Costa Rica and Victor Vazquez of Spain, who came in as a substitute in the second half, could not produce the desired lead that the host was looking for.
The fact that East Bengal could not keep a single of its five attempts on target told a lot about the lack of initiative on the part of the host’s attack. Guarrotxena on the other hand, came in as a great midseason recruit for the Islanders producing the skill and versatility that gave Mumbai City the edge in the contest.
The Spanish attacker could have gotten two more goals for his side but East Bengal goalkeeper Prabhsukhan Gill’s save made sure the match did not become a thrashing. The other attempt closely missed the target. With EBFC managing little in the attacking third, MCFC held on to the slender lead and secured the full quota of points.
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The result: East Bengal 0 lost to Mumbai City FC 1 (Iker Guarrotxena 24)