2017–18 Mumbai City FC season

Mumbai City started their season against ISL debutants Bengaluru on 19 November 2017 in their first away game of the season at the Sree Kanteerava Stadium in Bengaluru. The game began with a lot of physicality from both teams with tackles flying in from both sides. As the match progressed, Bengaluru started showing more flair and came close to opening their account thrice in the span of six minutes. Bengaluru kept seeing more of the ball and while there were a lot of moves that could have potentially ended up in goal, the final pass in the attacking-third seemed to let them down. Consequently, the sides went into the break with the score-line goalless. In the second half, Bengaluru scored their first goal in ISL, courtesy a short corner routine, when Edu García drilled one past former BFC man Amrinder Singh at the near post at the 67th minute. A defensive mix up between Wadoo and Amrinder in added time meant that Chhetri could get his name on the scoresheet and sealed a 2–0 victory for Bengaluru.[32] Mumbai City got their campaign up and running in their first home game of the season with a narrow 2-1 win over Goa at the Mumbai Football Arena on 25 November 2017. Everton Santos made the most of a lapse by Laxmikant Kattimani to open the scoring, while Manuel Arana came up with the equaliser for Goa four minutes before Thiago Santos came in from the right flank and squeezed the ball through Kattimani's legs to score the winner for the Islanders.[33] Mumbai City next faced Pune City in the first 'Maha' derby of the season on 29 November 2017. Pune City used their South American connection to good effect to come from behind and edge Mumbai City FC 2-1 at the Shree Shiv Chhatrapati Sports Complex in Pune. Uruguayan Emiliano Alfaro bagged a brace in the second half after the home team had gone behind from a sublime Balwant Singh strike in the first.[34]

Mumbai City started the month with an away encounter against previous season runners up Kerala Blasters on 3 December 2017. Mark Sifneos’ goal in the first half, which was also Kerala's first of the season, was cancelled out by Balwant Singh's strike in the second. C.K. Vineeth was booked a second time in the 90th minute following a tussle with Balwant, and was consequently given his marching orders. The match ended in a 1–1 draw.[35] After a poor start to the season with 1 win, 1 draw and 2 losses, Mumbai City next faced Chennaiyin, who were on a 3 match winning run on 10 December 2017. Mumbai were awarded a penalty after Balwant Singh was brought down in the box. Emana stepped up to the spot and slotted the ball into the bottom left corner to make it 1-0 for the Islanders, thus scoring the only goal of the game and breaking Chennaiyin's winning streak and securing their 2nd win of the season.[36] Mumbai City then hosted previous seasons' champion ATK on 17 December, who were still winless this season. Amrinder made a couple of good saves to deny ATK a goal. His and Mumbai's resistance finally came to an end in the 54th minute when Zequinha hit a shot with the outside of his right foot from the left flank. The keeper was unsighted by Robin, who got a slight touch on the ball to help it through Amrinder's legs and into the net.[37] Mumbai then won an away game against NorthEast United on 20 December, after Balwant scored a brace by scoring on either sides of half-time to ensure a 2-0 win for the Islanders.[38] In their last game of the year 2017, Mumbai City routed Delhi Dynamos, courtesy a 4–0 scoreline at the Mumbai Football Arena. Lucian Goian and Everton Santos struck in the first half to give Mumbai City a 2 goal cushion. The half, however, ended on a sour note as a tussle between Mumbai's Sehnaj Singh and Delhi's Mirabaje earned both a straight red. The second half started with 20 players on the pitch and it took only four minutes for the home team to score their third. Eleven minutes from time, Emana found Balwant with a lovely chip, who chested the ball down and hit a scuffed shot off his calf, that wrong-footed Arnab to roll over the goal-line, thus adding a fourth goal to Delhi's misery.[39]

Mumbai started the year with an away draw against Jamshedpur. A brace from Thiago Santos ensured that Mumbai will end the first part of their season on the fourth place. Though Mumbai had a good first half of the season, they were not able to replicate that form in the second half of the season after they suffered consecutive defeats against Kerala Balsters and Bengaluru. The only win in the month came against a 10 man Goa, when Balwant scored an all important 4th goal in the 86th minute in a 7 goal thriller.[40]

Like previous months of the season, Mumbai were not able to win the opening encounter of the month, as they lost 2–1 to the ISL debutants Jamshedpur in a home encounter. They then lost their 2nd 'Maha' derby of the season when Diego Carlos and Marcelinho scored a goal in each half to end the match with a 2-0 scoreline. With thi defeat Mumbai's poor run at home continued with their fourth home loss on the trot.[41] As things stood Mumbai needed a string of wins in the remainder of the league season. Mumbai then recorded 2 consecutive wins in the league when they defeated ATK away and NorthEast United on home, courtesy of a late Goian winner, thus keeping their playoff hopes alive.[42] With two games in hand, Mumbai needed victories in both to stand a chance of making the playoffs. They played their next match against bottom placed Delhi Dynamos. Delhi started with a barrage of attacks and took the lead from a simple build-up play as early as in the sixth minute. Mumbai then tried to surge forward in search of the equaliser and got themselves a free-kick on the half-hour mark from just outside the box. Emana stepped up to take it, but his effort deflected off the wall and just over the target for a corner. At half time the scoreline read 1-0 in favour of Delhi. Mumbai started strong in the second half after they equalised just four minutes following the restart. Balwant received the ball on the left side, cut in and fired on goal. Xabi Irureta got down to make the save, but the rebound fell straight to Everton, who pounced to slot it home. Delhi then racked up 4 goals in the last quarter of an hour to play. Chhangte rounded off Amrinder and scored into an empty net. Mumbai could not make the playoffs with the 5-1 rout.[43]

Mumbai then played their last match of the season against an already qualified Chennaiyin. The match ended 1–0 in favour of Chennaiyin.

As one of the bottom four teams in Indian Super League, Mumbai City entered the Super Cup in the qualifier round where they faced Indian Arrows for a spot in the Round of 16. The match began with Mumbai on the front foot as expected. Leo Costa and Balwant Singh had early opportunities, while Everton came the nearest to scoring when his powerful shot from distance rebounded off the far post. In the second half, the Arrows kept thronging Mumbai's box with well-strung passes and eventually got rewarded in the 77th minute, when Rahul scored an amazing opener. He brilliantly dinked the ball over Goian, raced past him and lodged the ball past Amrinder to take the lead. However, on the 90th minute mark, they ended up giving away a penalty to Mumbai when Rai brought Everton down in the box and Emana made no mistake to convert it from the spot. That proved to be the last piece of action from regulation time as the match entered extra-time. In the first period of the extra time Everton then gave Mumbai the lead with a powerful shot from the edge of the box to enter the last 15 minutes with a one-goal advantage. With that, Mumbai sealed their berth in the pre-quarter finals by winning the match 2–1.[44]

In the round of 16, Mumbai City will meet I-League side, East Bengal F.C..

Rank	No.	Pos	Nat	Player	ISL	Super Cup	Total
1	7	FW		Éverton Santos	7	1	8
2	15	FW		Balwant Singh	6	0	6
3	10	FW		Achille Emaná	3	1	4
	40	FW		Thiago Santos	4	0
5	18	DF		Lucian Goian	2	0	2
6	3	DF		Márcio Rosário	1	0	1
	9	DF		Rafa Jordà	1	0
	11	MF		Léo Costa	1	0

Source: soccerway
Updated: 16 March 2018

Rank	No.	Pos	Nat	Player	ISL	Super Cup	Total
1	1	GK		Amrinder Singh	2	0	2
2	27	GK		Arindam Bhattacharya	1	0	1

Source: soccerway
Updated: 16 March 2018

Rank	No.	Pos	Nat	Player	ISL		Super Cup		Total		Notes
1	28	MF		Sehnaj Singh	7	1	0	0	7	1	Missed a game, against NorthEast United (4 yellow cards)[45] (20 December 2017) Suspended for 2 games (red card)[46] (January 2018)
2	15	FW		Balwant Singh	4	0	0	0	4	0	Missed a game, against NorthEast United (4 yellow cards)[47] (22 February 2018)
3	3	DF		Márcio Rosário	3	0	0	0	3	0
	10	FW		Achille Emaná	3	0	0	0	3	0
	18	DF		Lucian Goian	3	0	0	0	3	0
	32	DF		Davinder Singh	3	0	0	0	3	0
	34	DF		Abhinas Ruidas	3	0	0	0	3	0
8	1	GK		Amrinder Singh	2	0	0	0	2	0
	4	DF		Gerson Vieira	2	0	0	0	2	0
	22	MF		Zakeer Mundampara	2	0	0	0	2	0
11	8	MF		Sahil Tavora	1	1	0	0	1	1	Missed a game, against Chennaiyin FC (red card)[48] (3 March 2018)
12	9	FW		Rafa Jordà	1	0	0	0	1	0
	11	MF		Léo Costa	1	0	0	0	1	0
	17	FW		Pranjal Bhumij	1	0	0	0	1	0
	40	FW		Thiago Santos	1	0	0	0	1	0

Source: soccerway
Updated: 16 March 2018