ISL: A look back at Mumbai City FC's 2018-19 narrow-miss season

The Indian Super League (ISL) finished with a flourish in the 2018-19 season. Sunil Chhetri-led Bengaluru FC ended up eventual winners, with Rahul Bheke netting the decisive goal in the final to hand Bengaluru FC their maiden title in the ISL. It was a mixed season for The Islanders, as Mumbai City missed out on reaching the final after a heavy first-leg defeat to FC Goa. Here's a recap of Mumbai City FC's 2018-19 season in the ISL.

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Jorge Costa took over the reins from Alexandre Guimarães for the 2018-19 season, with The Islanders hoping that the experience of the Portuguese would prove decisive during the ISL run-in. An opening day home defeat to Jamshedpur FC and an away draw against Kerala Blasters meant that Mumbai City FC had taken just one point out of a possible six in their first two games. The stage was set for Mumbai City FC to record their first win of the season against neighbouring rivals, Pune City FC. A goal from Modou Sougou and a Rafael Bastos penalty before half time meant that Mumbai City FC secured their first win for the 2018-19 season in the ISL. 

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The joy from the victory in the 'Maharashtra Derby' against FC Pune was short-lived, as FC Goa inflicted a 5-0 defeat on The Islanders in the following fixture. Narrow wins over Delhi Dynamos, Chennayin FC and NorthEast United followed, to leave Mumbai City FC with 13 points after seven games in the season. A goalless draw against ATK was followed by an impressive, yet hard-fought 4-2 away victory against Delhi Dynamos. Mumbai City FC went on to inflict a five-goal defeat on Kerala Blasters, thanks to a four-goal display from Modou Sougou. Mumbai City then proceeded to halt Bengaluru FC's unbeaten run in the season, dislodging Sunil Chhetri and co from the top of the table in January. 

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A narrow miss

A run of three consecutive defeats followed, but Mumbai made their way through to the playoffs, thanks to a 3-1 victory over ATK. An opportunity of a lifetime presented itself, as Mumbai City FC were slated to face off against FC Goa over two legs to book a place in the final of the 2018-19 ISL season. Mumbai raced into the lead, thanks to a timely goal from Rafael Bastos, who had been in fine form all season. The joy, however, was short-lived, as Goa responded by netting two goals before half-time, and another three before the 90-minute mark. The heavy defeat in the first leg meant that Mumbai City FC had little to no chance of qualifying unless they could overturn a four-goal deficit. The heavy defeat proved to be fatal, as Mumbai City FC won by a slender one-goal lead in the second leg, but failed to secure their spot in the final.

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