Mumbai City FC win maiden ISL title, beat ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1
Margao, Mar 13: Dominant Mumbai City FC flexed their muscles in the final of the 7th Indian Super League (ISL) to overcome formidable ATK Mohun Bagan 2-1 for their maiden title triumph here on Saturday.
Sergio Lobera's men made it two trophies in two weeks becoming just the second team to top the group phase and win the title. They had earlier won the League Shield, too.
Bipin Singh scored a 90th-minute winner after a Tiri own goal (29') had dragged Mumbai level.
Bagan had earlier taken the lead through David Williams (18').
Mumbai continued with their usual possession-based football but for Bagan who were out of the blocks early, it was all about surging ahead. While the islanders had over 60 per cent possession in the first quarter, Bagan had more shots on target.
There was an early penalty call when Bipin Singh was challenged in the box by Pritam Kotal, but the referee displayed no interest.
Thereafter, it was all about the Mariners. The Kolkata side pinned their opponents with a high pressing game which forced the Islanders into errors.
The first real threat for Mumbai came from a Javier Hernandez free-kick which brushed the crossbar. Roy Krishna then forced a save from Amrinder Singh from a tight angle.
With pressure mounting on Mumbai's defence, the Kolkata side broke the deadlock first. Krishna dispossessed Ahmed Jahouh just outside the box and slipped a pass to Williams. The Australian got on to his stronger right foot and fired a firm shot past Amrinder.
But with Jahouh and his trademark long deliveries, it was always going to get difficult for ATKMB. And with one such move, Mumbai found themselves back in the game. On seeing Bipin make a run upfront, Jahouh played a long ball from his own half into the Kolkata box. Tiri attempted a clearance but his header landed in his own goal.
Mumbai continued with attack after restart and Raynier Fernandes forced yet another save from Arindam after breaking into the area skipping past challenges from Kolkata defence. The Bagan keeper then produced a fine save to deny Hernan Santana from a free-kick.
At the hour mark, Mumbai probably had the best chance of the game. Arindam managed to block Le Fondre's shot but the rebound traveled to Boumous, whose shot was off-target.
Bagan had the ball in the back of the net when Hernandez's freekick was deflected off Mohamad Rakip into his own net, but the linesman caught Krishna offside.
After producing some fine saves, Arindam made a huge mistake which cost his team the title. After he failed to deal with a long ball properly, Bartholomew Ogbeche chased it down. The ball found its way to Bipin who made no mistake from close range.
Krishna was adjudged the Hero of the League while Igor Angulo won the Golden Boot. Amrinder won the Golden Glove award. Alberto Noguera won the DHL Winning Pass of the Season while Lalengmawia of the NorthEast United was adjudged the Emerging Player of the League.
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Navy information leak to Pakistan: Udupi police arrest another accused Hirendra Kumar from Gujarat
Udupi: The Udupi police have arrested another accused in connection with a case involving employees of a Malpe–Cochin Shipyard limited allegedly sharing confidential information related to the Indian Navy with Pakistan in exchange for money.
The arrested accused has been identified as Hirendra Kumar, alias Bharat Kumar Khadayata (34), a resident of Kailas Nagar in Ananda taluk of Gujarat.
With this arrest, the total number of accused arrested in the case has risen to three. Earlier, on November 21, police arrested Rohit and Santri, both hailing from Uttar Pradesh. They are currently in judicial custody.
According to the police, Rohit and Santri were working in a joint venture company operating at the Malpe Shipyard.
A case was registered at the Malpe Police Station after it was found that confidential details, including a list of Indian Navy ship numbers and other sensitive information, were allegedly shared with Pakistan through WhatsApp, leading to illegal monetary gains.
Hirendra Kumar was arrested on December 21 by a team led by Karkala Sub-Division Assistant Superintendent of Police Harsha Priyamvada, the investigating officer in the case. Police stated that the accused had allegedly procured a mobile SIM card in his name for a fee and handed it over to the other accused for use in the illegal activity.
He was produced before the court, and further investigation is underway, police officials said.
