ISL: Mumbai City FC slip in title race after loss to East Bengal

MUMBAI: Mumbai City FC paid the price for poor finishing as East Bengal FC came from behind to secure a 2-1 win in a high-stakes ISL clash at the Mumbai Football Arena on Tuesday.With both teams in the title race, Mumbai made a bright start and took an early lead through Brandon Fernandes. A defensive lapse allowed the midfielder space inside the box, and his clever, low finish handed the hosts the perfect opening.What followed, however, was a tale of missed chances — most notably from skipper Lallianzuala Chhangte. Mumbai, playing their final home game of the season, repeatedly breached East Bengal’s defence, with Noufal and Vikram Pratap Singh stretching the backline. But Chhangte squandered three clear first-half opportunities — a heavy touch when through on goal, a tame closerange effort, and another missed one-on-one — summing up a frustrating night. The profligacy mirrored Mumbai’s previous outing against Bengaluru FC, where they also failed to convert dominance into goals.East Bengal gradually grew into the contest and threatened through Mohamad Rashid, but the turning point came after the break.A costly error by Joni Kauko gifted the visitors a lifeline. Under pressure inside the box, he lost possession and fouled Miguel Ferreira, conceding a penalty. Youssef Ezzejjari made no mistake, smashing home the equaliser.Buoyed by momentum, East Bengal completed the turnaround through Nandha Kumar. Given too much space on the counter, he surged forward and struck from the edge of the box, the deflected effort looping into the net.Mumbai thought they had salvaged a point late on when Chhangte finished off a move involving Noufal, but the goal was ruled out for offside, compounding their misery. The defeat leaves Mumbai ruing missed chances in a match they largely controlled, while East Bengal walk away with three crucial points to stay firmly in the title race.