Mumbai City FC grabbed a hard-fought win against Inter Kashi. Captain Lallianzuala Chhangte scored the only goal in the second half. As a result, the Islanders sealed their spot in the Kalinga Super Cup semi-finals.

Slow Start to the Match

At first, both teams started cautiously. Inter Kashi, who had played aggressively against Bengaluru FC earlier, chose a calmer approach this time. In the 16th minute, Hitesh Sharma passed to Nikolaos Karelis, but Karelis fired wide from distance. However, the match faced an unusual delay due to a bee attack. After play resumed, both sides picked up the pace.

Injury Blow for Mumbai

Meanwhile, Mumbai City's injury list grew longer. Nathan Rodrigues left the field injured just before halftime. Consequently, Thaer Krouma replaced him. Inter Kashi nearly broke the deadlock in stoppage time. Prasanth K broke through but Krouma tackled him cleanly. Then, Mario Barco picked up the loose ball and shot, but the ball deflected out for a corner. From the resultant corner, Nikola Stojanović blasted his shot over the bar. Thus, the first half ended goalless.

Mumbai Dominate the Second Half

After the break, Mumbai City FC attacked with more intensity. Mehtab Singh hit the crossbar from a corner in the 53rd minute. Shortly after, Karelis tried an overhead kick but missed. In the 71st minute, Mumbai launched a fast counterattack. Jorge Ortiz led the charge. Although his two attempts were blocked, Chhangte scored on the third attempt to finally put Mumbai ahead.

Islanders Hold On to Win

From then on, Petr Kratky’s side managed the final minutes smartly. They shut down Inter Kashi’s attacks. In the end, Mumbai City FC celebrated a 1-0 win and booked their place in the semi-finals.