THE BLOG BY CPD FOOTBALL | The World of Indian football and beyond by Chris Punnakkattu Daniel

Mumbai FC look for second straight win against Union Bank

Cletus Paul (Mumbai FC)

Cletus Paul (Mumbai FC)

High on their 3-0 victory against Kenkre FC, Mumbai FC will be looking to keep up their momentum as they face Union Bank of India (UBI) in the MDFA Elite Division on Monday.

Returning to The Cooperage already seems to have had an effect on Mumbai FC as could be seen in the flawless performance against Kenkre. Team manager Henry Picardo opined, “Cooperage is our home. You can say that the club was homesick for the past four years. You could just see how inspired our players were against Kenkre.”

Henry added, “It’s important for us to take it one match at a time. The game against UBI will not be easy. Keeping focus is the key. The Elite Division matches are essential for our preparation for the upcoming season.”

UBI come into the game looking for their first points after they suffered a narrow defeat at the hands of Air India. A solitary Wayne Vaz strike was enough to put UBI to their swords.

Former champions, Mumbai FC, fielded a strong squad against Kenkre as Cletus Paul scored a brace and Allan Dias scored late to complete a 3-0 thumping. The team played some exquisite football as new signings Taisuke Matsugae and Pradeep Mohanraj dominated the midfield.

After making his debut an elated Taisuke said, “It was an awesome game. It’s always great to start with a win. I am looking forward to the match against UBI. We will give our best to win that game as well.”

UBI will be tough opponents as they proved to be against defending champions Air India, who narrowly escaped with a win. The UBI players launched a flurry of attacks only to see opportunities being missed due to lack of finishing thereby losing the game.