ISL: Stoppage time penalty hand Mumbai win over FC Goa in ISL
Margao, Nov 25: Adam Le Fondre came to his side's rescue and scored from the spot in the stoppage time to hand Mumbai City FC a 1-0 win over hosts FC Goa in an Indian Super League match here on Wednesday.
Sergio Lobera's men had played much of the match with a man-advantage after Redeem Tlang got a first-half red card.
But some dogged defending from Goa and Mumbai's own lack of fluency looked to be taking the match to a draw.
But then, at the stroke of the final whistle, Le Fondre stepped up and fired in a penalty to ensure that Lobera got the better of his former team.
Lobera made three changes to the side that lost to NorthEast United.
Bartholomew Ogbeche and Mohamad Rakip were dropped with Ahmed Jahouh suspended following his red card. Amey Ranawde, Cy Stephen Goddard and Mourtada Fall all came into the starting eleven.
FC Goa coach Juan Ferrando named an attacking team. Left-back Saviour Gama was back in the side after a suspension while Tlang and Alberto Noguera were selected ahead of Princeton Rebello and Jorge Ortiz.
The Gaurs had the first chance in the eighth minute when Noguera found Igor Angulo with a low cross, but the latter's poor first touch let him down.
Mumbai played with intent with Le Fondre constantly troubling Goa's left flank. But they couldn't convert their dominance into chances as they failed to record a single shot on goal in the first session.
The Gaurs then suffered a huge blow in the 40th minute when Tlang was shown the red card for his two-footed tackle on Hernan Santana.
Surprisingly, it was Goa who started more aggressively in the second half. They nearly took the lead just after restart when Angulo sprinted in the box, only to see his shot narrowly miss the target.
At the other end, Goa keeper Mohammed Nawaz almost gifted Mumbai a goal. His last-ditch clearance brushed the onrushing Le Fondre, but the touch wasn't enough to send the ball to the back of the net.
With less than a quarter to go, Mandar Rao Dessai squandered a great chance. Le Fondre's low shot was met by the left-back, but with just the keeper at his mercy, his touch proved too heavy, sending the ball over the post.
After constant knocking, Mumbai were finally awarded a penalty in the fifth minute of stoppage time after Lenny Rodrigues handled Bipin Singh's header, and Le Fondre's powerful drive gave Nawaz, who dived in the right direction, no chance.
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Delhi Polls: BJP faces protest, placates MLA amid resentment over ticket distribution
New Delhi, Jan 12: Resentment surfaced in the BJP on Sunday over ticket distribution for Delhi Assembly polls, with a protest held outside its Delhi unit office and an angry outburst by the outgoing MLA from Karawal Nagar who was not included in the candidate list released a day earlier.
As MLA Mohan Singh Bisht threatened to revolt after being denied a ticket from Karawal Nagar, the party rushed to control the damage and announced his candidature from the Mustafabad seat this evening.
A group of protesters from Tughlakabad in South Delhi held a dharna at the gate of the Delhi BJP office, demanding a change in the candidate from the constituency.
"Vikram Bidhuri Tum Sangharsh Karo; Modi Se Bair Nahi, Rohtas Teri Khair Nahi," the protesters, including mostly youngsters, chanted as the party leaders tried to pacify them.
In the second list of BJP candidates for the polls declared on Saturday, Rohtas Bidhuri was fielded from the Tughlakabad seat. In 2020 Assembly polls, Vikram Bidhuri who is a relative of senior party leader Ramesh Bidhuri, lost to AAP's Sahiram by over 13,000 votes.
A similar protest was also held by some party workers outside the Delhi BJP office against Mehrauli candidate Gajainder Yadav after the announcement of the first list of candidates earlier this month.
Bisht, the senior-most BJP MLA in the outgoing Assembly elected five times from Karawal Nagar, openly expressed unhappiness over being denied the ticket to contest from his stronghold.
A senior party leader said he was pacified after a meeting with BJP chief JP Nadda.
Bisht, after getting the ticket from Mustafabad, expressed confidence that he would win the seat for the BJP.
"I met the national president and things were ironed out. I have assured that I will contest from Mustafabad and win the seat for the party," Bisht told PTI.
The MLA said he and the BJP had considerable support in Mustafabad and he has already attended two public meetings there.
The BJP won the Mustafabad seat, having a significant minority community presence, in the 2015 Assembly polls but lost it to Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) in 2020.
Earlier in the day, Bisht told PTI that the party's decision to replace him with Kapil Mishra was "wrong" and its consequences will be visible after voting on February 5.
"You have challenged the 'samaj' (his Uttarakhandi community), not Mohan Singh Bisht. The BJP will lose at least 8-10 seats because of this decision, including Karawal Nagar, Burari, Mustafabad and Gokalpuri," Bisht warned.
The BJP fielded Kapil Mishra, a Hindutva hardliner, from Karwal Nagar in North East Delhi, which was rocked by massive communal violence just after the 2020 Assembly polls.
Sources in the party claimed that there was also "deep resentment" among the Delhi BJP's Scheduled Castes Morcha leaders over being denied tickets from different constituencies including Madipur and Kondli.
A top Delhi BJP functionary stressed that there are many ticket aspirants, so it is natural for those who did not get selected to feel disappointed.
"The BJP is a disciplined party and its leaders understand this. Sooner or later, everyone will realise this and work for the victory of the party giving up their resentment," he said.
The elections to 70 Assembly seats in Delhi are scheduled on February 5. Results will be out after the counting of votes on February 8.
The BJP, out of power in Delhi since 1998, is making all-out efforts to return to power. In the 2015 and 2020 Assembly polls, the party was completely routed by the AAP, scraping through with just three and eight seats, respectively.
