Playing home games away from home isn't something that any team would prefer. Mumbai FC were forced to do just that. After playing in Kolhapur and Pune for four years, the I-League team played their first game at the refurbished Cooperage Stadium in Colaba on Monday.
And, they celebrated their homecoming with a 3-0 win over Kenkre FC in the MDFA Elite Division.
The last time the I-League side played a match at the Cooperage was on May 28, 2010, when they beat Mohun Bagan, thanks to Abhishek Yadav's brace. Yadav currently plays for Mumbai City FC in the Indian Super League.
It didn't take long for them to show how badly they missed playing at Mumbai's football mecca. Their energy levels in the first ten minutes led to Kenkre losing possession in their own half on numerous occasions. Mumbai FC pressed so hard that their efforts bore fruits in the 15th minute through Cletus Paul's header.
Paul scored his and the team's second in the 39th minute with a well-timed lob over the goalkeeper to give his side a two-goal cushion going into the lemon break.
The second half was a one-way traffic with Mumbai FC making numerous shots on goal but unable to find the net easily. Kenkre faced more embarrassment as they were forced to play the last 20 minutes with a man short after referee Richard Dixion gave marching orders to Yash Mhatre for using abusive language.
Mumbai FC made this one-man advantage count as Allan Dias added his name in the score sheet in the 81st minute.
The Mumbai side also made a return to the Elite Division after a gap of two years due to fixtures clashing with the I-League. With the tournament set to begin in December, coach Henry Picardo felt that playing both tournaments at one venue will only help make the team better.
“Having played in Kolhapur and Balewadi (Pune), it feels great to be back at the Cooperage,” Picardo said. “The tournament is good preparation for the matches ahead in December. It's just the first game today (Monday) and we couldn't have asked for a better start. This is the one time where we felt like we were playing at home. Hopefully, all technicalities and legal issues to see supporters come and cheer us goes to plan.”
Stopwatch: Mumbai FC 3 (C Paul 15, 39, A Dias 81) bt Kenkre FC 0
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